# Alan Trager

> Alan Trager is the co-founder and former CEO of Fanatics, the sports-commerce company that began as Football Fanatics in Jacksonville's Orange Park Mall in 1995. A University of Florida business graduate and former retail CFO, he and his brother Mitchell opened the store as the Jacksonville Jaguars arrived, moved into online retail early, sold the business to GSI Commerce in 2011, and helped lead Fanatics to roughly $1 billion in annual revenue before his 2014 retirement as CEO.

- **Role:** Retired founder and former CEO of Fanatics
- **Organizations:** Fanatics, Football Fanatics, Kynetic, Dreams, Inc.
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in business, University of Florida
- **Known for:** Co-founded the Jacksonville retail business that became Fanatics., Helped move the business from mall retail into e-commerce, beginning with its first online order in 1998., Secured Football Fanatics' role as the official Jacksonville Jaguars team store by 2001.

## Career timeline

- **1975** — Received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida.
- **Before 1995** — Worked as CFO of a mid-sized retail chain in the southeastern United States, with additional oversight of information technology and marketing.
- **1995** — Co-founded Football Fanatics with his brother Mitchell and opened a store in Orange Park Mall as the Jacksonville Jaguars began their first NFL season.
- **1998** — Football Fanatics shipped its first online order.
- **1999** — Began serving as CEO of the business that became Fanatics.
- **2001** — Football Fanatics became the official Jaguars team store; its two locations employed 25 people and the company handled Jaguars internet orders.
- **2011** — The Tragers sold Fanatics to GSI Commerce; following eBay's acquisition of GSI, Fanatics became part of Michael Rubin's Kynetic.
- **2012** — As Fanatics CEO, supported the acquisition of Dreams, Inc. to expand assortment, technology, and fulfillment infrastructure.
- **2014** — Retired as Fanatics CEO and remained on the board during the leadership transition to Doug Mack.

## Achievements

- Co-founded the Jacksonville retail business that became Fanatics.
- Helped move the business from mall retail into e-commerce, beginning with its first online order in 1998.
- Secured Football Fanatics' role as the official Jacksonville Jaguars team store by 2001.
- Led Fanatics from a single store to a business described by the company as generating roughly $1 billion in annual revenue by his 2014 retirement.
- Built a customer-centered operating foundation that Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin publicly credited during the 2014 CEO transition.

## Latest updates

- **2014-04** — Fanatics announced that Trager would retire as CEO on April 21, remain on the board, and help incoming CEO Doug Mack through the transition.

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alan-trager
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-26