Celebrating 40 Years
How the Dream Began
Celebrating 40 years in 2024 wouldn’t be possible if not for the vision, courage and big dreams of some special people. The success of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles made a small group of community leaders realize that, through sports, San Antonio had the potential to both grow economically and improve quality of life.
Mayor Henry Cisneros shared that realization, envisioning the city as a destination for professional teams to call home. Local architect Ralph Bender, former pentathlete Robert Marbut, Jr., local swimming leaders George Block and Pete Williams, and Bill Hanson, the executive director of then San Antonio-based U.S. Modern Pentathlon Association saw amateur sports as the vehicle for Cisneros’ dream.
The Fried Chicken Gang
Bender sprang into action and scheduled weekly meetings at his office, promising to bring a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken to each. Dubbed the “Fried Chicken Gang,” the group began scouting venues and looking for amateur sporting events to bring to the city. Their big dream, however, was to build a domed stadium in San Antonio.
The Ball Starts Rolling
Soon, as interest in the group rose, so did Bender’s chicken bill. After two years, the San Antonio Sports Foundation was officially established, with sights set on bringing the Olympic Festival to town. On May 30, 1987, despite feverish efforts which had marked the last two decades, the 1991 Olympic Festival was awarded instead to Los Angeles. San Antonio simply did not have the facilities required to put on such a high-profile event, and Cisneros knew it. Rather than roll over and accept defeat, he decided to do something about it. Just two days later, he and Marbut managed to get approval to put a temporary half cent tax increase on the ballot to build the domed stadium they had been dreaming about for years.
The Alamodome
In January 1989, the tax increase passed and construction of the Alamodome began. In that moment, all the things we now celebrate in our 40th anniversary year were made possible. In 1989, the San Antonio Sports Foundation was awarded the AAU Junior Olympics. Just as the “Fried Chicken Gang” had imagined, amateur sports really were the vehicle for Cisneros’ dream of San Antonio as a destination for sports, because in 1991, the city was awarded the 1993 Olympic Festival. And just in time for the Festival, the Alamodome opened its doors debt-free in 1993. Since then, San Antonio Sports has continued to grow, evolve and put the Alamo City on the sports map, bringing hundreds of national events that have surpassed over $1 billion in economic impact for our community.
We look forward to celebrating our 40-year history, accomplishments and impact on this community in 2024. In the spirit of the original “Fried Chicken Gang,” it’s time to dare to dream again and imagine what could be next for San Antonio Sports and this city.
Check back soon for our first Game On! podcast episode.
