Alex Spanos remembers Bob Hope

Monday, Jul 28, 2003
By David Neville, Chargers.com

Spanos will miss his friend dearly, and like so many other millions of people around the world, he will remember Hope as an American icon.

“He was just such a charitable person. He was a good American, a patriot,” said Spanos. “How many people in this world…how many other entertainers can ever say that? How can you compare him to anybody else? You just can’t. Look what he’s done. He was just all over the place. He risked his life to go in there and entertain the troops. How many other people…how many other entertainers could ever achieve what he’s achieved and what he’s done for this country all of those years?”

From the first day they met, Spanos and Hope were close companions.

“I met Bob in 1968,” said Spanos. “I was playing golf in those days. I was at the El Dorado Country Club in Palm Springs and there was somebody I knew well and I said, ‘Fix me up with a good game.’ And he said ‘Okay Alex.’ I was sitting around waiting and he came running back and he said, ‘Alex I have a great game for you. I got Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.’ I said, ‘You’re kidding me.’

“We went out and Bob and I were partners against Crosby and his buddy. We killed them. From that day on we became the closest of friends. There wasn’t a week after that day that Bob didn’t call me for golf or whatever. We were always, always together.”

Hope was a regular guest of Spanos and his family at Chargers home games, especially during the 1990s.

“He never missed a game,” said Spanos. “He hadn’t been there for a couple of years now, but prior to that, like in the past five, six, seven years, he came to every single game.”

At one point, Spanos actually offered Hope part ownership of the team.

“I was ready to buy the ball club 20 years ago,” said Spanos. “We were flying to a golf tournament somewhere and I said, ‘Bob, I’m going to buy the San Diego Chargers. Do you want five or 10 percent? We’d love to have you as partner.’ As you know, he used to own part of the Los Angeles Rams. He decided not to do it, but he still loved coming to San Diego to watch the Chargers.”