The First Ladies of the 49ers

Sourdough Sam

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Mar 20, 2019
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Professional football faced a dilemma in the mid-1960s and the Morabito ladies found themselves in the midst of it. The National Football League and the American Football League were nibbling away at one another. Teams from both leagues competed for the same players, coaches, fans and revenue. A merger of the two leagues seemed the logical solution.


For the Morabito women that presented a problem. If the two leagues merged, the AFL's Oakland Raiders would be infringing on the 49ers territorial rights. Under the NFL's constitution at the time, every team was guaranteed exclusive right to the area within 75 miles of its home territory.


The Morabito women were in a position to kill the merger. They were reluctant to act on that option, but the situation became so dire that NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle flew to San Francisco to meet with them.


The AFL offered financial compensation to the 49ers of $8 million under terms of the merger. That was fine with the Morabitos until they discovered the New York Giants, who shared territorial rights with the New York Jets, would receive $10 million.


That sent up red flags in the 49ers office. The Morabito ladies wanted equal compensation. Spadia stepped in, did some negotiating and the dispute was settled equitably with the 49ers receiving additional concessions.


"We fought it right down to the wire," Josie said in William Paul's The Gray-Flannel Pigskin. "We also wanted to continue the Rams rivalry and we didn't want to be playing at home on the same Sunday as the Raiders."


After the NFL-AFL merger, pro football enjoyed an enormous growth spurt. Football, television and commercial opportunities became intrinsically linked. Salaries spiraled upward. Attendance jumped. The days of owning a mom-and-pop style sporting operation were over. Football was a big business and the Morabito ladies were sitting on the pulse of it.


Kezar Stadium, the 49ers humble home field since the team's inception in 1946 no longer could host NFL football. The crumbling yet lovable old stadium in Golden Gate Park, with wooden bench seating and absolutely no luxury boxes or corporate suites, was clearly outdated. In 1970, the NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and Cowboys was held in the ramshackle old joint while the corporate side of NFL management watched mildly bemused.


Spadia began looking for a new home. The search party considered several venues including Stanford Stadium, Candlestick Park and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.


Jane Morabito, a true native San Franciscan, opposed the move and made her sentiment clear. Kezar Stadium was the 49ers home and a San Francisco landmark. Nearly every high school in the city had played football there at one time, and Kezar hosted the annual Thanksgiving Day prep championship game. Everyone raised in San Francisco had a Kezar Stadium memory.


"I didn't want to go and I told them so," Jane said about moving the 49ers out of Kezar. "I told them I had many happy memories of Kezar."


Economics trumped nostalgia, however, and Candlestick Park received the nod of approval. The San Francisco Giants home baseball field since 1960, Candlestick needed additional seating and renovations, but it was the obvious choice for the 49ers.


Prior to the 49ers final game at Kezar, a 17-10 loss to Dallas for the 1970 NFC title, the Morabitos hosted a party for their beloved stadium. Their "Farewell to Kezar" luncheon at the Fairmont Hotel featured politicians, local celebrities and 49ers alumni, who all shared dear memories about the club's original home.


As the 49ers prepared to move, rumors began to swirl again about the franchise's possible sale. Josie stepped in to quash that idea on behalf of both women.


"The two principal owners haven't ever speculated about a sale," Josie told the San Francisco Examiner. "Bringing a championship to San Francisco is our goal."


In fact, under the Morabito women's stewardship the 49ers popularity increased and its financial outlook brightened. Jane and Josie became regular guests on the San Francisco social circuit and were active in civic and political affairs. They attended Super Bowls and NFL meetings. During the run-up to Super Bowl VIII in 1973 they offered the national media their predictions on the outcome. Jane liked the Miami Dolphins while Josie took Minnesota. But they did agree on one thing, "One day we will come to this game with our own team," Jane said.


Off the field, the Morabito women engaged in a number of charitable events and fundraisers to assist children and needy families. In the 1970s, they used the 49ers popularity as a vehicle to support San Francisco Mayor Joe Alioto and his effort to raise funds for youth activities. They organized their own charity event, one 49ers game each season in which a percentage of the gate receipts was donated to Mayor Alioto's Youth Fund. They called it the Mayor's Youth Bowl. The income generated (estimated at over $100,000 per game) helped support community organizations like boys and girls clubs, youth summer programs and high school sports.


Josie also became involved in fundraising at Santa Clara University, her husband Tony's alma mater. She was named to Santa Clara's Board of Regents in 1972 and established the Tony Morabito and Josephine Morabito Fox Scholarship Fund.


By 1974 the 49ers three-year run as a Super Bowl contender began to waver. Coach Dick Nolan was on the hot seat. The 49ers finished 5-9 in 1975 and Nolan was replaced by Monte Clark. As he left the building for the final time, Nolan provided reporters with insight into his relationship with the Morabitos.


"In my eight years with the 49ers" he said, "I had nothing but a fine relationship with Lou. The same goes for the Morabito ladies, Jane and Josephine. They have been wonderful employers."


The Morabitos lifetime in football may have reached its apex in 1969 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame where Joe Perry and Leo Nomellini were the first 49ers ever inducted. In one of the ultimate forms of respect and loyalty Perry, pro football's all-time leading rusher before retiring, invited Josephine to be his presenter. Nomellini, acclaimed by the NFL as the greatest defensive tackle during its first 50 years, selected Jane.
 
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