Edward J . DeBartolo Jr . Edward John DeBartolo Jr . ( born November 6 , 1946 in Youngstown , Ohio ) is an American businessman , perhaps best known as the former owner of the NFL ' s San Francisco 49ers . Career . DeBartolo developed shopping malls as part of his father ' s company , the Edward J . DeBartolo Corporation , which became one of the largest public real estate businesses in the United States – " at one point controlling over 2 billion square feet of retail real estate space nationwide . " Beyond his real estate background , DeBartolo was actively involved in franchise ownership and sports management , becoming one of the most successful and generous owners in professional sports . His ownership of the 49ers proved especially notable . During his twenty - three years owning the team , beginning in 1977 , the 49ers won an unprecedented five Super Bowls under coaches Bill Walsh and George Seifert , Super Bowl XVI , Super Bowl XIX , Super Bowl XXIII , Super Bowl XXIV , and Super Bowl XXIX . From the early 1980s through the 1990s , DeBartolo presided over a team that had the winningest decade in football history . DeBartolo was beloved as an owner , and many of his former players , including Hall of Famers Joe Montana , Steve Young , and Jerry Rice , still think of him as the most generous owner in NFL history , often affectionately referring to him as " Mr . D . " Legal troubles . DeBartolo was involved in the corruption case of former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards . He pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to report a felony , and received a $ 1 million fine and two years of probation in return for his testimony against Edwards . Edwards was on trial for extortion and other charges , among which were the $ 400 , 000 he demanded from DeBartolo to gain a river boat casino license . DeBartolo never received the license , was fined by the NFL , and barred from active control of the 49ers for one year . That legal battle led to another , and as part of a settlement , DeBartolo gave up control of the 49ers in 2000 , ceding control of the team to his sister Marie Denise DeBartolo York . York had previously been the president of the DeBartolo family - owned Pittsburgh Penguins . In 1991 he arranged to sell the NHL franchise to assist the DeBartolo Corporation in the aftermath of the real estate collapse of 1987 . Many shopping malls were sold to the Simon Property Group in 1996 , which operated for a few years as the Simon DeBartolo Group . Personal . DeBartolo is the son of Edward J . DeBartolo , Sr . , a real estate pioneer who garnered success in the development of shopping malls . His mother was Marie Patricia Montani DeBartolo , in whose honor the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre Dame was posthumously dedicated . He has three daughters , Lisa , Nicole , and Tiffanie . Tiffanie DeBartolo is an author and the director of the film " Dream for an Insomniac " ( 1996 ) . Honors . In 2008 , DeBartolo was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame , the first person to receive this honor who did not coach or compete in a professional sport . In 2009 , he was inducted into the 49ers Hall of Fame . In the same year , DeBartolo was named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor to the game . He was documented in NFL Network ' s " A Football Life " .