First Friday Breakfast 6/3/11

Description

Guest Speaker - Jeff Moorad, CEO San Diego Padres

Biography

For many years, Moorad was a player agent partnered with Leigh Steinberg at 'Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn' ("SMD") and represented many baseball, football, and basketball players. They sold SMD in October 1999 to Assante Sports Management Group, a Canadian financial-management firm, for a reported $220 million. Assante acquired several other sports agencies. In February 2002, David Dunn left SMD to open Athletes First, taking about 50 N.F.L. players with him and opening offices about a mile from Steinberg's in Newport Beach, Calif. Extensive litigation ensued involving Dunn and Assante. Steinberg later reacquired some pieces of the agency he had sold to Assante.

When Steinberg left, Moorad renamed the firm as Moorad Sports Management. One of the most prominent players managed by Moorad during his tenure as an agent was left-fielder Manny Ramirez. In December 2000, Moorad and then-Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette famously brokered the $160 million deal which brought the enigmatic Ramirez to Boston. Ramirez subsequently switched to another agent, Scott Boras, who represented him in the deal where he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008.

Over his career, Moorad has also represented Will Clark, Steve Young, Warren Moon, Shawn Green among others.

Baseball

Arizona Diamondbacks

In 2005, Moorad agreed to a proposal to become a partial owner and executive of the Arizona Diamondbacks, succeeding Jerry Colangelo who had brought the team to Arizona. Moorad would be in partnership with Ken Kendrick the lead investor among the owners of the Diamondbacks. When joining the Diamondbacks, Moorad ceded control of his sports management business to another sports agent, Greg Genske.

San Diego Padres

In 2009, Moorad agreed to become the lead partner in a group that would buy the San Diego Padres from John Moores. Moores was selling the team because he was going through a divorce. Moorad and his group of 12 investors (including former Dallas Cowboys QB Troy Aikman, Rancho Santa Fe businessman Wayne Seltzer, entrepreneur John McAvoy, local home builder Al Baldwin, Phoenix/Indiana businessman J.D. Stein, NoCal money manager Rick Berry, CEO of Save Mart Supermarkets Bob Piccinini, cell-phone honcho John McEvoy, and Panda Restaurant CEO Tom Davin) would own 30% of the team with Moorad serving as club CEO. Moorad's group is expected to gain full control of the Padres from Chairman John Moores incrementally over 5 years. However, Moorad also still owns a 12% share of the Diamondbacks, whose principal owner Ken Kendrick was reportedly not happy with the circumstances of Moorad's departure.

Education

Moorad is a native of Modesto, California. He earned an Associate in Arts degree from Modesto Junior College (1976); a degree in Political Science (B.A. 1978) from UCLA. He received a law degree from Villanova University School of Law (J.D.) in 1981.