Ed Stack's Leadership Transforms Dick's Sporting Goods and Influences Sports Retail
Executive Chairman Ed Stack guided Dick's Sporting Goods from a regional chain to a dominant force in sports retail, marked by record sales and strategic acquisitions.
Ed Stack, executive chairman of Dick's Sporting Goods, has been recognized on TIME's 2026 list of the most influential people in sports. His tenure has seen the company evolve from its origins as a small regional chain, founded by his father in 1948, into the largest sporting goods retailer in the United States.
Stack served as CEO from 1984 to 2021, during which he oversaw significant growth, expanding the company to over 800 locations. In recent years, Dick's Sporting Goods has notably outperformed competitors who have scaled back or closed operations. The company achieved a record-breaking year in 2025, reporting $17 billion in sales. A key component of this success was the $2.4 billion acquisition of Foot Locker.
Beyond its retail footprint, Dick's Sporting Goods has integrated itself into various aspects of the youth sports ecosystem. In addition to offering a wide range of athletic gear, the company owns GameChanger, a popular application used for tracking amateur sports game updates. This multifaceted approach has contributed to the company's sustained prosperity and Stack's influence within the sports industry.