Date: 1982-02-08
Speaker: JOHN L. BURTON (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. this Friday. February 12. the city of Youngstown. Ohio. will proclaim "Edward J. DeBartolo. Jr.. Day" in tribute to the owner and chief executive officer of the world champion San Francisco 49ers. I am pleased to join with my colleague. LYLE WILLIAMS Of Youngstown. Ohio. in offering this tribute to our good friend. Eddie. The 49ers became the Superbowl champions by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 26 to 21 in Superbowl XVI. Under Coach Bill Walsh. they were the most winning team in the NFL for the 1981 season with 13 victories. It was the first 49er team ever to win the NFC title. Their quarterback. Joe Montana. was MVP of the Superbowl. and Coach Bill Walsh was voted coach of the year by everyone. including the Washinton Touchdown Club. Fred Dean was named UPIs NFC defense player of the year. In honor of Edward J. DeBartolo. Jr.. Day and in tribute to our friend. Eddie. we would like to resubmit our tribute of November 22. 1981. to the 24 Superbowl XVI victory only serves to underscore how prophetic our earlier words were. The tribute to Edward J. DeBartolo. Jr. follows: Mr. Speaker. as one of San Franciscos Members of the House of Representati ves. I am pleased to join with my colleague. LYLE WILLIAMS of Youngstown. Ohio. in offering this tribute to our friend. Edward DeBartolo. Jr.. who among other things is owner and chief executive officer of the San Fran cisco 49ers. At the invitation of my old buddy. Ken Flower. I was going to spend the evening with a person described by the San Francisco media as "a rich young kid from Youngstown. Ohio." I was stunned to find instead of the rich outoftowner with a silver spoon. a warm outgoing person who could have hung out with me. George Moscone and the rest of the gang at Polk Gulch and North Beach. When I met Eddie he was in town for the 49ersRedskin game with his close friend. Carmen Policy. They were watching "Boom Boom" Mancini fight Alex Arguello on television. Afterward we talked and I was amazed that he could keep up with the chatter of an old North Beach "Lean and Tender"-bartenderwith the same ease that allows him to deal in the world of corporate board rooms. I knew we were kindred souls when Eddies only criteria for a restaurant was that they serve good baccala and require no neckties. By the end of the evening I felt as if I had known him all my life. When Eddie first took over the 49ers he was the victim of bum raps in the media. "a rich kid with a new toy." "lie aint even from the Bay Area." and "an outsider." Although his family home is in Youngstown. Ohio. I know Eddie DeBartolo loves our city and the people. When he became owner of the 49ers. he made only one promise that within 5 years they would be competitive in the league. This promise has been more than kept and. along with coach Bill Walsh. he has given us exciting. gutsy team play every week. He has provided 49ers fafis with the finest team in the history of the franchise. To see Eddie in the locker room hugging. slapping hands. joking with the players. stopping to say a kind word to each team member shows lie recognizes his players as people rather than beef on the hoof. To have seen the tears of Joy after the Pittsburgh game as lie hugged his dad and family then thanked each player was proof of his emotional and personal feelings about our 49ers. The team is not a toy but part of his very being. far from being a spoiled kid with a new toy. Eddie DeBartolo is a beautifiul human being who possess the unique combination of his fathers business acumen and innerstrengh. the emotional warmth and commonsense of his mother. Marie. as well as the street smarts of the common person. These traits are what makes Edward DeBartolo. Jr.. a cut above most of his NFL peers. Nineteen eightyone marks a significant year. significant because this is Edward Jr.s fifth season as the teams owner and chief executive officer. Five years have passed since the National Football Leagues San Francisco franchise became a vital acquisition of the nationwide DeBartolo Corp.. and for the teams president. stability now has fully arrived on his football club. DeBartolo points with pride to the settling effect that has permeated the organization since 1979 when he hired Bill Walsh. a leading football tactician and a great human being with the ability to bring individuals together as a team on and off the field. as head coach and general manager. The 49ers were a team in transition during 1977 and 1978. but that transition began to diminish with the arrival of Walsh and his staff. DeBartolo says the turnaround came because "all of us have a singleness of purpose" where the 49ers are concerned. He adds. The people presently guiding the team under Bills direction are the people who will be operating the team for a long time. I have pledged my total support to their efforts. The 49ers 35yearold president serves the DeBartolo Corp. as president and chief administrative officer. a role that demands nearly all of his attention and time. The corporations home offices are located in Youngstown. Ohio. the DeBartolo family hometown. Founded in 1948 by Edward J. DeBartolo. who is the father of the 49ers president. the DeBartolo Corp. has become one of Americas great business success stories. It is the leading planner. builder. owner. and operator of enclosed regional shopping malls in the world. malls that total more than 74 million square feet of retail space. In addition. the corporation owns thoroughbred racetracks. including luxurious Louisiana Downs. hotels. Industrial and executive office parks. the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey franchise. the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. and holds many commercial bank interests. including its role as majority stockholder in three banks. . Ed Junior not only is one of Americas fastest rising young executives for a major corporation. but he also is the youngest owner in the 28team National Football League. His rise began upon graduation from Notre Dame In 1968 when he joined the company full time. moving from depart. ment to department learning the many facets of the company which. by then. had grown into a national corporation and had become recognized as the largest shopping center firm in the United States. In 1971 he was appointed a vice president. Five years later he was named executive vice president while taking over the. Inhouse DeBartolo staff of some 300 engineers. architects. designers. financiers. leasing agents. lawyers. management and operations teams. along with advertising. public relations. and marketing personnel. He was appointed president and chief administrative officer in July of 1979. Working a demanding 7dayaweek schedule that he has continued to today. Ed Junior found little time for those pursuits he still lists as hobblesgolf and footballor returning my phone calls. Football. the dominant Interest in his life. would become more than just a hobby when he became the 49ers president and general partner. In that capacity he controls 90 percent of the club. with limited partners Jane Morabito and Franklin Mieuli. who each own 5 percent. E.Edward Junior gives generously of his time and influence when it comes to charitable endeavors. He is highly active in the St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. having directed the Youngstown effort for national chairman Danny Thomas. an effort that netted the greatest sum of any city its size in the Nation. He also has for several years directed the Youngstown Cancer and Heart Fund Drives. served as director of a local youth center. and served as a member of the board of trustees at Youngstown State University. His wife. Candy. was his childhood sweetheart. and they are the parents of three daughters. Lisa Marie 11. Tiffanie Lynn 10. and Nicole Ann 6.