Eugene Victor Klein (January 29, 1921March 12, 1990) was an American businessman who was

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

and chief stockholder of National General Corporation, an insurance and entertainment company based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California. Klein was also a founding partner of the Seattle SuperSonics of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, owner of the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

from 1966 to 1984, and a major figure in

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

Business career

Born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, New York, Klein made his money and reputation in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

where he owned a very successful used-car dealership. He was an investor in National Theaters and Television, Inc., which became National General Corp. When the company ran into severe financial difficulty, Klein stepped in to save his investment. As a member of the

, he became actively involved in the company's restructuring and not only restored it to profitability but turned the company into an industry powerhouse. He would end up being appointed its president and chairman. In 1969, National General Corp acquired Great American Holding Corp., owner of the Great American Insurance Company. In 1973 they merged to become

American Financial Group American Financial Group, Inc. is an American financial services holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its primary businesses are insurance and investments. Lines of business American Financial Group's major insurance division ope ...

Politics

A long-time Democratic Party supporter, Klein helped finance

Pierre Salinger Pierre Emil George Salinger (June 14, 1925 – October 16, 2004) was an American journalist, author and politician. He served as the ninth White House Press Secretary, press secretary for United States presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon ...

in his 1964 election campaign for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. When Salinger lost, Klein hired him as National General's vice president in charge of advertising. In 1972, Klein left the Democratic party to support the 1972 presidential candidacy of the incumbent Republican,

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

Sports franchise investments

Always an avid sports fan, but an entrepreneur who recognized the potential on the U.S. West Coast, in 1960 Klein unsuccessfully lobbied

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

owners to obtain an

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

franchise for the city of Los Angeles; the American League baseball team went to "singing cowboy"

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

, which began play as the

Angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

. On December 20, 1966, Klein and business associate Sam Schulman, plus a group of minority investors, obtained the

franchise for the city of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington. Schulman would be the active partner, serving as president of the basketball team and head of operations. Prior to this, Klein and Schulman had already made a major investment in sports following the June 1966 announcement of the merger of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

and the

. On August 25 they led a group of investors who purchased the

for $10 million, at the time, a record price for a National Football League franchise. The majority owner, Klein served as the team's president and head of operations. During his time with the Chargers football club, Klein became involved in a much publicized feud with Al Davis, the then managing general partner of the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. Their differences resulted in a lawsuit in which a

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

Superior Court jury held Davis responsible for a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

Klein suffered in 1981. The verdict was overturned on appeal. While he was the owner of the San Diego Chargers in the mid-1970s he hired coach Don "Air" Coryell and assembled a very interesting team that kept people fascinated with the Chargers because of the high scoring offense. During this time the Chargers offense had three future Hall of Fame inductees with Dan Fouts as quarterback,

Kellen Winslow Kellen Boswell Winslow Sr. (born November 5, 1957) is an American former professional American football, football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL). A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1995), he is widely recogn ...

at tight end, and Charlie Joiner at wide receiver. Other notable receivers were

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

s John Jefferson and later Wes Chandler. The city became highly engrossed in the franchise and pro football led all professional sports teams in the area; the baseball team and basketball team did not compete in their respective sports to nearly at the same level during this era. The Chargers won

AFC West The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, ...

division titles in 1979–1981 and also made the playoffs in 1982. In 1980 and 1981, they reached the

AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the wo ...

game but lost both times and never advanced to the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

under Klein. Klein refused to renegotiate player contracts, most notably Jefferson's and defensive end Fred Dean's contracts at the beginning of the 1981 season. The situation led to both players being dealt away by the Chargers. While Jefferson was replaced by Chandler, future Hall of Famer Dean's departure on defense coincided with the Chargers surrendering the most passing yards in the NFL in both 1981 and 1982. Dean went on to win two Super Bowls with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

and was inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

in 2008. In 1984, Klein sold his interest in the San Diego Chargers to

Alex Spanos Alexander Gus Spanos (September 28, 1923 – October 9, 2018) was an American billionaire real estate developer, founder of the A. G. Spanos Companies, and the majority owner of the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football Lea ...

. On his death, NFL commissioner

Paul Tagliabue Paul John Tagliabue (; born November 24, 1940) is an American lawyer who was the National Football League Commissioner, commissioner of the National Football League (NFL). He took the position in 1989 NFL season, 1989 and served until September ...

said of Klein: "He made a great contribution to the league, not only in San Diego, but on the television committee, where he was a visionary" and that Klein "was a valuable and valued owner and he will be missed."

Thoroughbred horse racing

Klein entered the thoroughbred horse racing business in 1982. He established Del Rayo Racing Stables, a

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...

operation, and training center in Rancho Santa Fe, California. He hired D. Wayne Lukas to

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

his horses. Among Klein's famous Thoroughbreds: * Tank's Prospect - 1985, won the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

* Lady's Secret - 1986, voted the

Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, or simply Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to san ...

. Inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

in 1992 * Winning Colors - 1988, became only the third

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

in history to win the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

. Voted 1988 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Filly. Inducted into the

in 2000. * Open Mind - 1988, won Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, voted Eclipse Award for Outstanding Two-Year-Old Filly. 1989, voted Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Filly Klein had horses win seven

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

races: * Breeders' Cup Juvenile: ** Capote (1986) (partnership) ** Success Express (1987) **

Is It True Is It True may refer to: Names *Is It True (horse) Music *Is It True (Brenda Lee song), "Is It True" (Brenda Lee song), 1964 *Is It True (Tame Impala song), "Is It True" (Tame Impala song), 2020 *Is It True? (Yohanna song), "Is It True?" (Yohanna ...

(1988) * Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies: ** Twilight Ridge (1985) ** Open Mind (1988) * Breeders' Cup Distaff: ** Life's Magic (1985) ** Lady's Secret (1986) In just seven years of racing, Klein raced six champions, two of which are in the Hall of Fame, and earned a total of eleven Eclipse Awards, including being personally voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner three years running from 1985 to 1987. Klein also started an offshoot business near his Rancho Santa Fe stables in the mid-1980s.. He developed two luxury residential real estate projects called Del Rayo Estates and Del Rayo Downs. Forbes.com ranked its 92067 as the second most expensive ZIP code real estate market in the United States for 2005 In poor health, in 1989 Klein retired from racing, selling off his 146 horses just a few months before he died. In 1995, his stables at Rancho Santa Fe, California were sold to Sidney and Jenny Craig of

weight loss Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...

fame. Klein was a benefactor to a number of charities and was a major donor to the Scripps Research Institute. He was also active in the San Diego Hall of Champions, the

San Diego Museum of Art The San Diego Museum of Art is a fine art museum in Balboa Park in San Diego, California, that houses a broad collection with particular strength in Spanish art. It opened as the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego on February 28, 1926, and changed ...

, the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Personal life

He married Frances Klein, who was also

; they had two children: Michael Klein and Randee Klein King.New York Times: "Affinity for Tennis Turned a Mansion Into a Showplace"
September 6, 1971

References

External links

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20071020031043/http://chargers.com/history/chronology/ San Diego Chargers history, Official website
February 7, 1969 Time magazine article on National General Corp.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100715234534/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,876461,00.html Time magazine article on Pierre Salinger
The Baseball Journals with copy of letter from Klein to the president of the American Baseball League

Seattle Times article re NBA franchise

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Eugene V. 1921 births 1990 deaths Businesspeople from the Bronx 20th-century American businesspeople American film studio executives Philanthropists from New York (state) American philanthropists American racehorse owners and breeders Owners of Kentucky Derby winners Owners of Preakness Stakes winners Eclipse Award winners San Diego Chargers owners Seattle SuperSonics owners Jewish American sports executives and administrators Scripps Research United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers