Known as "Mr. D" to his former NFL players, Eddie DeBartolo is deeply loved and respected by Hall of Famers Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Joe Montana.  Edward “Eddie” DeBartolo Jr is best known as the former owner of the famous San Francisco 49ers. His involvement in the corruption case of the former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards barred him from controlling the team 49ers for one year. The legal battle continued and he was forced to give up the control of 49ers  to his sister. Marie Denise DeBartolo took over post which Eddie left.

The case also caused the collapse of the DeBartolo Corporation in 1987. This forced him to sell his shopping malls to Simon Property Group in 1999. Later on, the company became the Simon DeBartolo Group. Eddie is also responsible for the development of Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation into one of the largest public real estate companies in the United States.

Edward DeBartolo Jr. has an estimated net worth of $3.6 billion as of April 2016 according to Forbes.