DeBartolo Jr. will throw reunion party
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Eddie DeBartolo is throwing a reunion party this month in Las Vegas for all five teams that won Super Bowls during his 22-year run as owner of the 49ers.
"I was pumped up when I got the invitation," said Brent Jones, a member of three Super Bowl teams. "It was just a matter of time before he pulled off something big."
DeBartolo, who could not be reached for comment, is said to be inviting every player, coach and employee connected to those teams. He's putting them up for the weekend at a posh hotel, and the festivities include a dinner with entertainment by Huey Lewis and the News, one source said.
Both Super Bowl coaches, Bill Walsh and George Seifert, are planning to attend, along with many of the team's greatest stars.
Not the first party
This won't be the first party that DeBartolo has thrown for the 49ers -- he took them to Hawaii after their back-to-back Super Bowls in 1988-89, and he hosted a bash at a Colorado resort after their last championship in 1994.
"They're a lot of fun, and there's no expense spared," Jones said. "And the beautiful thing on this one? There's no salary cap on this, baby."
DeBartolo resides in Tampa, Fla., and operates a real estate development firm and other businesses. He and his sister, Denise DeBartolo York, reached a settlement in 2000, dividing the family's assets 50-50. As part of the deal, York and her husband, John, assumed sole ownership of the 49ers and DeBartolo received stock and real estate holdings.
It is not known whether the Yorks have been invited.
43
