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20-566: The stadium was renovated largely from funding from alumnus Alex Spanos (1923–2018), an American billionaire real estate developer, founder of the A. G. Spanos Companies , and majority owner of the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). Originally opened 89 years ago in 1935, the stadium was expanded in 2006 to its current capacity and, following the completion of a $ 21.5-million renovation,

40-474: A seven-way heart bypass in 2000, and had surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer. After his heart bypass at Sacramento Mercy General Hospital, Spanos donated $ 10 million to the hospital to sponsor the construction of a new state-of-the-art heart center. Spanos wrote a book called Sharing the Wealth: My Story which detailed his rise from a moneyless man of 27 years to become a billionaire. Spanos

60-647: A tail gunner during World War II. Spanos earned varsity letters in swimming and diving at the University of the Pacific in Stockton and later distinguished himself as an amateur golfer. In 1951, he borrowed $ 800 ($ 9,375 in 2024) from a local banker to buy a truck which he then used to sell sandwiches to migrant farm workers in the San Joaquin Valley . He invested his earnings in real estate and at

80-813: The Baltimore Colts , featuring Johnny Unitas , Bubba Smith , and head coach Don Shula , spent nearly two weeks holding a preseason training camp in the stadium, with practice and scrimmages open to the public. The Colts played the San Diego Chargers in a preseason game on August 2, before heading north to visit the Oakland Raiders on August 9, in-between their stay in San Luis Obispo . Five times in decades past, each when various CIF Southern Section championship high school football games featured both teams from either San Luis Obispo County or Santa Barbara County facing in head-to-head matchups,

100-605: The Alex G. Spanos Sports and Recreation Complex in Sacramento , the Alex G. Spanos Training Center at UCSD are named after him. From 2006 to 2022, the Mustang Memorial Field at Cal Poly also bore his name, after he donated $ 8 million to renovate the stadium. Spanos was one of the largest contributors to George W. Bush 's re-election campaign in 2004. By contributing $ 5 million to 527 groups that supported

120-734: The Bush campaign in 2004, Spanos ranked among the top five GOP donors. President Bush appointed Spanos to the Kennedy Center board in 2004. Spanos was inducted into the California Building Industry Hall of Fame in 2005. Spanos also received the AHEPA Award, an award that recognizes members of the community for their contributions and achievements in their chosen field of endeavor. In 1948, Spanos married Faye Papafaklis. They had four children: Dean Spanos ,

140-674: The Chargers' team president; Michael Spanos, the Chargers' executive vice president; Alexis Spanos Ruhl, a vice president of A. G. Spanos Companies; and Dea Spanos Berberian, a vice president of A. G. Spanos Companies. In his autobiography, Spanos credited his wife with much of his success and stated that the couple did not recall "one real argument." Faye Spanos died on August 7, 2018, aged 92. Spanos resided in Stockton, California . He also owned property in Las Vegas , Nevada . Spanos had

160-725: The daily operations of the franchise. According to Forbes , as of August 2022, the Los Angeles Chargers are worth $ 3.875 billion. Spanos donated $ 500,000 to renovate the Fox Theatre in downtown Stockton, and with the approval of the City of Stockton, renamed the facility the Fox California Bob Hope Theatre. The Alex G. Spanos Center at University of the Pacific in Stockton, the Alex G. Spanos Stadium for Lincoln High School in Stockton,

180-452: The field served as the neutral host-site location for the title games. The games featuring entirely Central Coast Athletic Association members included the 1990 game, when a crowd of over 9,000 fans attended and future NFL first-round draft choice Napoleon Kaufman rushed for 84 yards and compiled 30 yards receiving: In addition to the intra-county championship games, a sixth CIF title game, this time including neighboring Ventura County ,

200-405: The lower portion of the older east-side bleachers to add handicapped seats and improve accessibility and egress. The new south endzone stands increased capacity by 345 seats. The playing field is aligned north-northwest to south-southeast at an approximate elevation of three hundred feet (90 m) above sea level . Formerly natural grass, FieldTurf was installed in 2022 . In November 2022,

220-454: 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; and Bill Fox, a local community leader, until his death in 2020. Since 1993, Spanos' son Dean has handled

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240-551: The stadium's entrance along South Perimeter Road, and set a sellout record of 11,075 fans as the Mustang football team defeated Weber State. Previous expansions to the stadium's steel east-side grandstands were completed in 1972 and 1979. Artist renderings of further increasing the stadium's capacity to 25,000 were released in 2010. In 2013 , Cal Poly replaced the south end zone rented stands with permanent aluminum stands improving handicapped access. Additionally, Cal Poly renovated

260-489: The stadium. Meanwhile, in 2023, the city's Mission College Prep Royals began playing Friday night football games in the stadium. Alex Spanos Alexander Gus Spanos (September 28, 1923 – October 9, 2018) was an American billionaire real estate developer, founder of the A. G. Spanos Companies , and the majority owner of the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). Spanos

280-465: 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

300-434: The university announced the facility would be renamed Mustang Memorial Field Presented by Dignity Health French Hospital Medical Center, reflecting a new 10-year naming rights agreement between the college and the healthcare organization. The first official events to be held at the facility under the new name were the semifinals and championship match of the 2022 Big West Women's Soccer Tournament. From August 4–14, 1969 ,

320-562: Was a teenager and remained married until his death. Spanos, who played a large part in mediating the conflict between his parents, stated that his turbulent home life was the reason he strove to provide a stable environment for his own children. In 1942, he dropped out of college at the California Polytechnic School and joined the Army Air Force training as a pilot but left the program and instead served as

340-422: Was also held at the former Mustang Stadium before the site's extensive renovations: Six total times since the mid-2000s renovation, the stadium hosted MLS preseason exhibition matches, sometimes drawing upwards of 4,300 fans, including in 2011 and 2012 when USMNT forward Chris Wondolowski took the field: Cal Poly Mustangs football , as well as the men's and women's soccer teams, play their home games at

360-424: Was born in Stockton, California , to Greek immigrants Constantino and Evanthia Spanos. His father owned a bakery where the young Spanos started working at the age of eight. According to his autobiography, Spanos was "born into conflict", since his parents were constantly fighting. Spanos' mother even left the family home for two years and attempted to take two children with her, but his parents reunited when he

380-666: Was the first person to be on the winning teams in both the Bob Hope Desert Classic in Palm Desert (1977) and the Bob Hope British Pro-Am (1980). Spanos died October 9, 2018, age 95, of complications from dementia that had been diagnosed ten years prior. According to friends, he had been brokenhearted by the death of his wife two months earlier. Mission College Preparatory High School Too Many Requests If you report this error to

400-418: Was then renamed Alex G. Spanos Stadium in a pregame ceremony on November 18. The recognition and subsequent renaming for the ensuing 15 years was the result of an $ 8 million donation to renovate Mustang Stadium by Alex Spanos , the largest single donation in the school's history at the time. At the next season's home opener following the dedication, Cal Poly debuted a tailgating section perpendicular to

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