He inherited DeBartolo Realty Corporation from his father, and merged it with Simon Property Group in the late 90s. The merger created one of the largest real estate conglomerates in US history. He purchased the San Francisco 49ers in 1977, and during his twenty-three years as owner of the team, they won a record five Super Bowls. He was suspended for one year in the late 90s, after pleading guilty to not reporting a bribe from former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards. In 2000, he transferred ownership of the 49ers to his sister in exchange for more shares of the Simon Property Group. He now owns a portion of Famous Famiglia, a popular chain of pizza restaurants, and also runs DeBartolo Sports and Entertainment, a chain of sports clubs.
