Dean Spanos

Dean Alexander Spanos (born May 26, 1950) is the owner and Chairman of the Board for the National Football League (NFL)'s Los Angeles Chargers franchise. He is the son of Alex Spanos, who purchased majority interest of the Chargers in 1984. Spanos took over daily operations for the team from his father in 1994, becoming President and CEO, until he passed operations to his sons in 2015.

Spanos took over full ownership of the Chargers after his father’s death on October 9, 2018.

Early life and education
Spanos was raised in Stockton, California, the son of Alex and Faye Spanos, both of Greek ancestry.

Spanos attended Lincoln High School where he earned varsity letters in football and golf and received the Lincoln High Hall of Fame Award. He graduated University of the Pacific in 1972.

Chargers
Spanos was named team president and chief executive officer of the Chargers in early 1994. Under Spanos' leadership, the Chargers won 113 games between 2004 and 2014, which included five AFC West championships and four playoff game wins.

In May 2015, Spanos ceded control of the team to his sons, John and A.G. He stayed on as chairman with the understanding he would oversee the new stadium process, which resulted in the team playing its home games in the LA Galaxy's StubHub Center, which was not full for several games in 2017.

Spanos demanded the San Diego taxpayers finance a new stadium for the Chargers to be built in downtown San Diego. After 15 years of attempting to finance a downtown football stadium, the vote received only 43 percent approval.

In January 2017, Spanos exercised the option to relocate the team to Los Angeles. The move was met with criticism by the San Diego fan base, due to Spanos' lack of effort in attempting to find a stadium solution in San Diego. The team's temporary headquarters was in Costa Mesa under a 10 year lease. The 2017 season was played at the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park (known as StubHub Center until 2019) and the Chargers are scheduled to play at Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park along with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020.

Philanthropy
In 2000, the family launched Chargers Champions through the Community Foundation to support local schools.

In 2011 Spanos held a fundraiser for Rick Perry at a private event at Sacramento. In 2014, the Spanos' donated $500,000 to the University of California, San Diego for the Alex G. Spanos Athletic Performance Center. The donation brought their total support to UCSD to $1.6 million.

He also led the Chargers to partner with the Susan G. Komen Foundation in San Diego in honor of his wife Susie, who is a breast cancer survivor. During his tenure with the Chargers, Spanos created The Chargers Champions All-Star Gala to recognize high school students and educators in the San Diego area. After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Spanos and the Chargers donated $500,000 to hurricane relief.

Awards and recognition
In 2016, Spanos ranked number 21 on the USA Today list of 100 most important people in the NFL. He was an honoree at the American Hellenic Council's (AHC) Annual Awards Gala, which recognizes individuals from the Greek-American community.

He was appointed to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. by President George W. Bush in 2006. Spanos received the 2005 Distinguished American Award from the San Diego Chapter of the National Football Foundation. He was also awarded the 2004 Jose A. Cota Award for philanthropy and the Chargers support of law enforcement.

In 2002, Spanos was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, 16 years after his father received the award. He also was inducted into the DeMolay International Alumni Hall of Fame.