Front Office

The Chargers have become one of the NFL’s most successful and respected franchises under the leadership of Chairman of the Board - President Dean Spanos.

Spanos has provided the direction, resources and environment to build and maintain consistent success. As a result, the Chargers won 87 games during the past eight seasons (2004-11), including five AFC West titles (2004, 2006-09) and three playoff victories. Only three teams won more games during that span.

Spanos became President of the Chargers early in 1994, the same year the team culminated its most memorable season in team history with an appearance in Super Bowl XXIX.

Spanos’ leadership is felt throughout the National Football League as well as all Spanos corporate entities. As a member of the Management Council Executive Committee (CEC), he played an integral role last year in negotiating the NFL’s new labor agreement. He serves as chairman of the NFL’s Business Ventures Committee, which has oversight regarding various league commercial activities, including consumer products, sponsorship, events, marketing and new business initiatives. He also serves on the League’s International and Legislative Committees.

In addition, as president of the A.G. Spanos Companies, Dean and his brother, Michael, oversee all construction operations nationwide.

Spanos’ commitment to San Diego and the team is undeniable. He has dedicated years of hard work and millions of dollars to develop a plan to give San Diegans a modern Super Bowl-quality stadium and secure a long-term home for their football team. The reason for this bond: Dean, his wife Susie, and their two sons, A.G. and John, proudly have called San Diego home for more than 27 years.

Spanos’ efforts to build a special relationship between the team and its fans have helped the Chargers become one of San Diego’s most popular and talked-about institutions. These efforts were acknowledged in 2006 when the Chargers were named the League’s most fan-friendly team by FansVoice.com. Nothing grabs the attention of San Diegans like the Chargers, whose games have become the highlight of weekends during the season. Television ratings of games are unsurpassed while day-to-day news of the team dominates local talk shows and newscasts.

TRADITION OF GIVING

Spanos has continued the long-standing tradition of community service and support established by the Spanos family and the Chargers. For Dean and Susie – who just celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary, this commitment comes from the heart.This past offseason, Dean and his family as well as the entire Chargers community were shaken by the sudden passing of Chargers iconic linebacker Junior Seau. Dean and his wife Susie hosted a “Celebration of Life” for Seau. The event was seen and heard live by more than 150,000 San Diegans, making it possible for a grieving community to come together, heal and pay tribute to one of San Diego’s native sons.

The Spanos family is recognized as one of pro football’s most philanthropic families and one of Southern California’s most active and caring contributors. Their financial and emotional support of youth sports and education in San Diego is unmatched. In 2010, the Association of Fundraising Professionals recognized Spanos and the Chargers as San Diego’s Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation, one of the most prestigious awards for community service.

“I’m fortunate to be in a position to help people and organizations that need and deserve our support. My family is proud to be a part of the San Diego community,” Spanos said.

The Chargers Community Foundation continues to be a leader in assisting schools, honoring volunteers, supporting youth sports and aiding critical causes important to the community. The Foundation and the Spanos family have provided more than $11 million to support a wide range of services and resources for programs directly affecting youth and families in the county. The Foundation’s largest ongoing program, Chargers Champions, was created in 1999 specifically to help San Diego County’s schools and students. The program has surpassed the $4.5 million mark in providing direct assistance to local schools, teachers and students. The focus of Chargers Champions is to improve the fitness levels of students in the county. It provides grants directly to San Diego County schools for fitness, nutrition and athletic programs on area campuses.

Additional examples of Spanos’ largesse are too many to count. In 2000 local student-athletes received a giant boost when the Spanos family and Chargers Community Foundation supplied the initial funding to organize the first-ever freshman football and girls volleyball programs in the 16 San Diego City high schools. This major public-private partnership created more than 1,000 extracurricular opportunities for students.

Youth football in San Diego has known no greater champion than the Spanos family and the Chargers. Their support of the California Interscholastic Federation’s (CIF) annual high school football championship games allows the games to be played in Qualcomm Stadium. The Alex Spanos All-Star Classic, the longest-running high school all-star football game in California, is another example of their support. This devotion to youth football led the national Pop Warner organization to name the Chargers its 2007 NFL Team of the Year.

In 2007, when wildfires ravaged San Diego County for the second time in five years, Spanos jumped to the forefront with a $1 million donation to aid affected families and the recovery effort. He made an identical $1 million contribution immediately following the wildfires that hit the community in 2003.

Spanos also is a staunch supporter of San Diego’s Police, Fire and Sheriff’s departments. Thanks to his generosity, Critical Communications Centers have been upgraded and mobile command units for the Police department have been purchased. Spanos’ financial support enabled local agencies to purchase wildfire fighting gear as well as other fire-fighting equipment. And in response to an increase in child abduction cases, Spanos hosted and paid for critical law enforcement training classes for the Sheriff’s department.

Spanos continues to be a major force in San Diego’s business and civic communities. He has been a top contributor to Rady Children’s Hospital, the San Diego Blood Bank, the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, San Diego State University’s Campanile Foundation, University of San Diego, STAR/PAL, the San Diego Police Foundation, the San Diego Hall of Champions and the San Diego High School Sports Association.

Dean and his father, Chargers Owner Alex Spanos, secured Super Bowl XXXII (1998) for the City of San Diego, a huge economic benefit for the community. Super Bowl XXXVII in January 2003 brought more than $300 million to the San Diego economy and marked the second time in five years that the San Diego region enjoyed the financial windfall of hosting a Super Bowl.

COMMUNITY HONORS

Community honors come frequently to Dean and his wife, Susie.

Dean and Susie received the 2012 Herb Klein Spirit of San Diego Award from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce at the organization’s annual awards dinner. In 2011 the Salvation Army recognized the Chargers’ dedication to helping San Diego’s homeless citizens during their annual Golden Bells ceremony. The award is given to local leaders for their efforts to improve their community and shine a light on people in need. In 2010 the American Diabetes Association honored Spanos at its annual Fathers of the Year Dinner. In 2007, the local Salvation Army named Dean and Susie as their Most Valuable Philanthropists.

Spanos was honored in 2006 when President George W. Bush appointed him as a Board of Trustees member of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Also in 2006, he was the honored recipient of the Golden Achievement Award from the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Diego. In addition that year, Junior Achievement of San Diego honored him for his community leadership and specifically for his support of youth education initiatives by inducting him into its Hall of Fame.

The Warner Award, the top honor of the national Pop Warner football organization, was bestowed on him for his commitment to youth football and its Little Scholars education initiative in 2005. The San Diego Chapter of the National Football Foundation also presented Spanos with its highest honor, the Distinguished American Award. In 2004, the Police Historical Society presented him with their first Cota Award for community philanthropy and support of law enforcement. Dean and Susie received the Harold Leventhal Community Service Award in 2003, the top national award of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.

Spanos had the unique distinction of being a second-generation recipient of the renowned Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2002, 16 years after his father was similarly honored. He was also inducted into the DeMolay International Alumni Hall of Fame in 2002. DeMolay International is an organization dedicated to preparing young men to lead successful and productive lives.

In 2001, the San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum presented Dean and Susie with its Community Champions Award, the Hall’s most distinguished award.

BUSINESSMAN AND FAMILY MAN

Dean Alexander Spanos was born in Stockton, California. He earned varsity letters in football and golf at Lincoln High School in Stockton. Dean received Lincoln High School’s Hall of Fame Award, which honors alumni whose contributions and accomplishments are representative of the school. He was recognized for his achievements in the areas of business and athletics. Spanos continued his golfing career at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, graduating in 1972 with a degree in business administration. He maintains close ties with his alma mater, having served as a regent at the university.

An avid golfer since his college years, Dean has been on the winning team in five Pro-Am tournaments, including back to-back wins in 1990 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach with partner Hubert Green. He successfully defended his title at the Hope Classic in 1991. Spanos’ first win came with Green at the 1985 Bing Crosby Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, where he was awarded the “Most Valuable Amateur” trophy for supplying the most help to his professional partner. Later that year, his second win came in the 1985 Senior Players Reunion Pro Am in Dallas, where he teamed with Billy Casper.

Susie received the prestigious Celebration of Life Award last year from the American Cancer Society. She is a spokeswoman for the NFL’s cancer campaign and is a breast cancer survivor. She also was honored as a "Woman of Dedication" by the Salvation Army in 2001 and has been named the Woman of the Year by the San Diego Leukemia Society for her philanthropic work in the community.

Susie is active in and on the board of many charitable organizations in San Diego, including the San Diego Women’s Foundation. She is a trustee at the Mingei Museum and an advisory member of Las Patronas, one of San Diego’s leading non-profit organizations. Susie has been a driving force in supporting the San Diego Blood Bank and its umbilical cord blood program, helping the Chargers’ annual blood drive become one of the most successful in the nation.

Dean and Susie’s eldest son A.G. is the Chargers’ chief executive officer. Previously he spent five years as the team’s director of marketing programs and business development. A.G. is a graduate of the business school at the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the Chargers full-time in 2001, he worked in the NFL Europe office in London and at the NFL office in New York. As a freshman, A.G. attended Tufts University in Medford, Mass., where he was a member of the football team. In high school, he earned six varsity letters as a two-sport athlete (basketball and football) at La Jolla Country Day School.

Son John is the team’s director of college scouting. Previously he was the assistant director after serving as a pro and college scout. John graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in business in 2002. He also interned one summer and later worked one year at the NFL Management Council’s office in New York. While at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, John earned nine varsity letters in a variety of sports – football, basketball and golf – and played on three championship teams. John and his wife Jodie reside in La Jolla.