SAN DIEGO (CBS 8/CBS Sports) - From a CBS Sports article, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones almost bought the San Diego Chargers back in 1966. EVEN more far-out, Jones reveals in a HBO's Real Sports interview that he was going to do it with the help of Jimmy Hoffa's teamsters.
HBO's Bernie Goldberg asks Jones, "So you went to Jimmy Hoffa's union and asked to borrow money to buy a football team?"
Jones' reply was, "Correct. The Chargers. Yes."
Jones stated he wanted to get involved in football but didn't have the finances to buy a team on his own at that time.
In the end Jones wanted to do it without the teamsters' money but the deal to buy the Chargers for $5.8 million from hotel heir Barron Hilton eventually fell through.
According to the CBS Sports article, Jones' dad talked him out of buying the team because the AFL was bleeding money at the time.
In 1966 Hilton sold the Chargers to a group headed by Eugene Klein for $10 million. Alex Spanos purchased a majority interest in the Chargers in 1984 for $70 million.
According to Forbes, the Chargers are now worth $1.5 billion. Jerry Jones would eventually buy the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 for $150 million. Forbes list the Cowboys franchise is currently worth $4 billion.
