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John York is an entrepreneur and successful business leader whose ownership of the San Francisco 49ers is the culmination of a life-long passion for the sport of football and for the team he owns along with his wife, Denise DeBartolo York. John and Denise are dedicated to building and maintaining a winning organization. From the installation of Head Coach Mike Nolan in 2005 to the exemplary group supporting Nolan including Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary and former NFL linebacker-turned-defensive-coordinator Greg Manusky the 49ers have assembled a leadership team with extraordinary talent. John has made significant additions to the team’s front-office staff with the hiring of football-savvy personnel scout Scot McCloughan as Vice President of Player Personnel and by naming experienced NFL decision-maker Lal Heneghan as Executive Vice President of Football Operations. With these moves, the 49ers are building a competitive franchise based on great coaching, solid player development and strong additions of key veterans and draft choices. Today, the 49ers have created an environment where veteran players such as Derek Smith and Bryant Young re-signed rather than test the free agent market, and new players such as Pro Bowl guard Larry Allen and Pro Bowl cornerbacks Walt Harris and Nate Clements chose to join the 49ers. John’s dedication to the game of football extends to the top levels of the NFL, where he serves as Chairman of the NFL’s International Committee and is a member of the League’s Audit and Business Ventures Committees. Born in Muskogee, Okla., John had been a member of the 49ers Faithful since growing up in Little Rock, Ark. and watching great players like John Brodie and R.C. Owens light up his living room television. John’s approach to football has been shaped by his long experience as a proven developer and builder of companies. In 1982, John founded DeYor Laboratories in Youngstown, Ohio. From three employees, he molded the company into a 500-person operation with facilities in three states and annual revenues between $25 and $30 million.
John married Denise in 1978, beginning his association with the 49ers and The DeBartolo Corp. He and Denise took over as owners of the team in the mid-1990s. In addition to his duties with the 49ers, John serves as President and member of the Board of Directors for The DeBartolo Corp., where he oversees the operation of the corporation’s portfolio. John also maintains interests in several other ventures, including a Youngstown, Ohio-based investment firm and a software systems organization in Nashville, Tenn. Prior to becoming President, John was The DeBartolo Corp.’s Senior Vice President/Director of Racing Operations. He successfully enhanced the overall value of the racing portfolio by developing the inaugural DeBartolo Racing Challenge in 1997, tying together the Derbies at Thistledown in Cleveland, Remington Park in Oklahoma City and Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La. John also is noted for his generous support of charities, youth activities and education in the Bay Area. The 49ers Foundation, founded in 1991 to support Bay Area non-profit organizations and causes, set a record under John’s leadership in 2006 with $1.2 million raised and donated. John ensured that 49ers players, coaches, staff and alumni participated in 134 community events and donated more than 2,500 hours of volunteer time in 2006. In addition, John and Denise have contributed more than $500,000 to non-profit organizations serving the at-risk youth of the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhoods of San Francisco, near the 49ers current stadium. In 2005, Catholic Youth Charities honored John and Denise for their remarkable contributions to Bay Area youth at their Premiere Bay Area Awards dinner. John’s generosity has been recognized outside the Bay Area as well. Ohio’s Boardman Community Baseball Association, a baseball league for children ages five through 18, awarded John the title of Honorary Lifetime Member in June 2006 for his 19 years of service. The Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio, presented John with the Distinguished American Award in May 2005. John graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. After receiving his doctorate from Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University in 1975, he underwent seven years of post-doctorate training at such prominent universities as Loyola of Chicago and Vanderbilt. An accomplished writer and lecturer, John has numerous publications to his credit. Still an active alumnus of the University of Notre Dame and his high school alma mater, Little Rock Catholic High School, John continues to donate time and financial support to better educational facilities and curriculum at both of his former schools. | 