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Alex Spanos

Alex Spanos
Born Alexander Gus Spanos
(1923-09-28) September 28, 1923 (age 93)
Stockton, California
Citizenship United States
Education University of the Pacific
Occupation Majority shareholder of the Los Angeles Chargers
Founder of A. G. Spanos Companies
Net worth IncreaseUS$2.4 billion
(1/12/2017)
Spouse(s) Faye Papafaklis
Children Dean Alexander Spanos
Michael Spanos
Dea Spanos Berberian
Alexis Spanos Ruhl
Parent(s) Constantinos Spanos
Evanthia Spanos

Alexander Gus Spanos (born September 28, 1923) is an American real estate developer and self-made billionaire who founded the A. G. Spanos Companies and is the majority owner of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL).

Spanos was born in to a Greek family, the son of Greek immigrants, Constantino and Evanthia Spanos. His father owned a bakery where the young Spanos started working at the age of eight. In 1942 he dropped out of college and joined the Army Air Force training as a pilot but left the program and instead served as a tail gunner during World War II. Spanos earned varsity letters in running and diving at the University of the Pacific in Stockton and later distinguished himself as an amateur golfer.

In 1951 he borrowed $800 from a local banker to buy a truck which he then used to sell sandwiches to migrant farm workers in the San Joaquin Valley. By 1955 he had made his first million dollars. He invested his earnings in real estate and at the suggestion of his tax accountants, started to build apartments. In 1960 he founded A.G. Spanos Companies, which by 1977 had become the largest apartment builder in the United States. The corporation is based in Stockton and has 10 subsidiaries.

In 1984, Spanos bought 60% of the San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers) from majority owner Eugene Klein for $48.3 million. Over the next 10 years, he bought out the shares of several small co-owners, bringing his control of the team to 97%. The remaining 3% was held by San Diego restaurateur George Pernicano, an investor in the team since a few years after its inception, until Pernicano's death in October 2016. Since 1993, Spanos' son Dean has handled the daily operations of the franchise. According to Forbes, as of 2015 the San Diego Chargers are worth $995 million.


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