Getty San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers owner and CEO John Edward “Jed” York took over the team in 2008, and while he has had a bit of a rollercoaster ride in that time, he has his team is making its second Super Bowl appearance in seven years. His uncle, Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., owned the 49ers before he did, so the Niners have been a family-run organization since 1977.
Like his uncle, York grew up in Youngstown, Ohio and he earned degrees in Finance and History at the University of Notre Dame before he went to New York, where he was a financial analyst for about a year before choosing to become a part of the family business. York will be seeking his first Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl LIV. He’s had a long road in getting there, but he has done quite well for himself along the way. Here’s what you need to know about Jed York’s net worth:
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1. Jed Dedicated This Season to His Late Brother Tony
- York lost his brother Tony to suicide just 13 months ago. Tony York was 35-years old. He was an entrepreneur who founded a tech company, and was an apparent fan of his brother being the CEO of a professional football team. “My brother was a great kid. He loved everything about this, he loved everything about you guys,” York told the locker room in December of 2018, just after he had lost his brother. Shanahan had just given York a game ball, and the CEO was understandably emotional.
- “This team is going to be a champion,” he continued, before adding, his voice breaking: “I’m going to leave a ring when we get one for my brother.”
2. York is No Longer the Team President
While he became president and owner of the 49ers in 2008, York no longer carries those titles, handing the title of president over to Gideon Yu in 2012. Yu was the first ever man of color to be the president of an NFL football team. He is now part owner, and Al Guido is the team’s current president.
3. York is Inspired By Legendary 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh’s Philosophies
York’s uncle, DeBartolo Jr., won five Super Bowls, largely with the help of Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh. In a recent interview, York noted that he has utilized and employed multiple philosophies Walsh used to use in his tenure with the team. There’s Walsh’s thoughts on “The Catch,” one of the most famous NFL plays ever, in which the 49ers’ Dwight Clark caught a game-winning touchdown to beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship. York, like Walsh, doesn’t want to stop at an NFC Championship. “We’re champions today, but we’ve got one more to go,” York said after his team beat Green Bay in the championship this year.
Another nugget of wisdom he has borrowed from Walsh? “Champions behave like champions before they’re champions,” which is something he told his team in 2018, a year before they ended up heading to the Super Bowl this year.
4. The 49ers Franchise is Worth Over $3 Billion
According to Statista, the 49ers franchise is worth $3.05 billion, as of last year. They are the sixth-most valuable NFL team, and the 16th most valuable sports franchise in the entire world, behind the likes of the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and Real Madrid soccer team, among others.
5. York Has Donated Money to Both Democrat and Republican Politicians
According to Sports Illustrated, York “donated $5,400 to Democrat Kamala Harris’s Senate campaign in 2015, as well as $500 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential run in ’16. He also donated $1,900 to Republican representative Jeff Denham in ’16.” York’s mother, Denise Debartolo, “has donated thousands to Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan. She also donated $25K over three installments to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee between ’07 and ’10,” according to SI.
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