MIT Sloan Sports Business Conference: Panels

Overview

Agenda
      Defending the Title
      Improving the Game
      Baseball Analytics
      Basketball Analytics
      Brand and Revenue Management
      Career
      Football Analytics
      Gaming
      Media
      Technology
      Venue Management

Sponsors

Speakers

Press Room

Travel & Logistics

History

Panel: Defending the Title

DESCRIPTION

This panel features prominent executives from championship teams with high expectations for the future. These executives will discuss some of the benefits and challenges of being a defending champion, including both business-side effects (ranging from attendance to brand management) and team operations ramifications (such as maintaining the roster or continuing to build for the future).

PANELISTS

  R.C. Buford - San Antonio Spurs
  Brian Burke - Anaheim Ducks
  Jed Hoyer - Boston Red Sox
  Bill Polian - Indianapolis Colts
  Peter Gammons - ESPN (Moderator)

R.C. Buford -Named the Spurs general manager in July of 2002 … a member of the Spurs front office since 1994 … has 25 years of basketball experience in the NCAA and the NBA … started his coaching career at the University of Kansas in 1983 … during each of his five seasons at Kansas the Jayhawks participated in the NCAA Tournament … was an assistant coach for the team that won the 1988 NCAA Championship as well as the 1985–86 squad that advanced to the Final Four … made the move to the NBA in the summer of 1988 joining the Spurs as an assistant coach on Larry Brown’s staff (other assistants on that staff included Gregg Popovich, Alvin Gentry and Ed Manning) … spent four seasons as an assistant with the Spurs … during that time San Antonio won back-to-back Midwest Division titles (1990 and 1991) … joined the Los Angeles Clippers in the summer of 1992 as the number one assistant for Coach Brown … the Clippers posted a 41-41 record during the 1992–93 season and earned a spot in the 1993 Playoffs … served as an assistant coach at the University of Florida during the 1993–94 season (as the team advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history) … returned to San Antonio in the summer of 1994 when Gregg Popovich hired him as the team’s head scout … in the summer of 1997 he became the Spurs director of scouting … was named vice president/assistant general manager in the summer of 1999 … played collegiate basketball at Texas A&M University and Oklahoma State before receiving his degree from Friends University … each of the last four summers has participated in the NBA Basketball Without Borders Africa camp … serves as a Board Member for Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives … serves on the Board of Directors of PeacePlayers International ... his wife, Beth, is a former player on the LPGA Tour … they are both active with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation … they have three children: a son, Chase, a daughter, C.C. and in 2004 they welcomed Alexis Wangmene to their family … Wangmene is a teenager from Africa who the Bufords met in September of 2004 during the Basketball Without Borders program in Johannesburg … Chase is a freshman basketball player at Kansas and Alexis is a freshman basketball player at Texas.

Brian Burke - In just his second season as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Anaheim Ducks, Brian Burke led the Ducks to hockey history. After reshaping the club into an aggressive, up-tempo hockey team built around speed and physical play, the Anaheim Ducks became the first California team to win the Stanley Cup. The 2007 Champions defeated Ottawa four-games-to-one to win hockey’s ultimate prize. Including their run to the 2006 Western Conference Finals, Burke has led the Ducks to six series wins in his two seasons in Anaheim. No other NHL team has won more than four series in that span.

Burke was named Executive Vice President and General Manager on June 20, 2005 and named Randy Carlyle Head Coach on August 1. Burke joined the Ducks after a six-year stint (1998-2004) as Vancouver Canucks President and General Manager, where he revitalized the team and community en route to consecutive 100+ point seasons and the 2004 Northwest Division title. Under his leadership, the team increased its point total four consecutive years from 1999-2003. With 104 and 101 points respectively in 2002-2003 & 2003-2004, the Canucks joined only Detroit, Ottawa and Philadelphia to record consecutive seasons with at least 100 points. The 2003-2004 Canucks finished with a record of 43-24-10-5 for 101 points, winning the Northwest Division. Burke’s 2001-2002 Canucks led the league with 254 goals.

Since the 2001-2002 campaign, Burke’s teams have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs all six seasons, playing in 12 total postseason series. In addition, all six of those clubs recorded at least 90+ points, including three 100+ point seasons. He was named the Sporting News “Executive of the Year” in 2001, and was named a runner-up for the same award following the 2005-2006 campaign. Burke was also a finalist for The Hockey News “Executive of the Year” in 2006.

Born in New England and raised in Minnesota, Burke originally joined the Canucks in June, 1987 as Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations. He left the Canucks in 1992 to become General Manager of the Hartford Whalers, where he began rebuilding the club with several player transactions, including the acquisition of Chris Pronger.

Burke, 52, joined the NHL front office as Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations in September of 1993. While at the league office, he served as the chief disciplinarian, ruling on violations for on-ice player conduct. He worked closely with Commissioner Gary Bettman on league direction, including collective bargaining matters. Burke also played a key role in bringing NHL hockey to Japan in October of 1997, as the Ducks played the Canucks twice to open the season in Tokyo.

After earning his Bachelor of Arts in History from Providence College in 1977, Burke signed professionally with the Philadelphia Flyers. He played for the Maine Mariners (Flyers’ AHL affiliate) during the 1977-78 season, which culminated in a Calder Cup Championship. He then returned to the classroom and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1981. Burke practiced law in Boston for the next six years, representing professional hockey players until he joined the Canucks in 1987.

In the Fall of 2006, Burke joined the Board of Directors of Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Foundation for Children. Along with Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle and Disneyland Resort President Ed Grier, he served as the 2007 Honorary Co-Chair of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim Annual Gala. In Vancouver, he served on the Board of Directors for Canuck Place, and was a spokesperson for Ducks Unlimited, Canada, Inc. In addition, Burke served as an Adjunct Professor at the British Columbia University School of Law and is a member of the National Sports Law Institute and Sports Lawyers Association.

Brian and his wife Jennifer currently reside in Newport Beach. He has six children; Katie, Patrick, Brendan, Molly, Mairin and Fiona Grace.

Jed Hoyer was named Assistant General Manager on January 24, 2006. Prior to his appointment, Jed had served as Co-General Manager since December 12, 2005. As Assistant General Manager, Hoyer assists Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein in all facets of baseball operations. The 34-year-old joined the Red Sox baseball operations department in 2002 and served as assistant to the general manager during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He has been actively involved in all aspects of the department's business, including talent evaluation, contract negotiations and sabermetric analysis.

The Plymouth, NH native is a 1996 graduate of Wesleyan UniversTity, where he played shortstop and pitched for four seasons, helping the Cardinals to the championship game of the Division III World Series in 1994. The school?s single-season and career saves leader, Hoyer later served as an assistant baseball coach at Wesleyan.

Jed is single and resides in Boston.

Bill Polian is in his tenth season as President of the Indianapolis Colts. Polian oversees all football and administrative aspects of the Colts. His football blueprint has established a program of excellence that has made Indianapolis one of the NFL’s top teams for the last eight years. The 2006 Colts culminated years of franchise dedication by winning Super Bowl XLI, 29-17 over Chicago. In reaching the NFL pinnacle, the club won an unprecedented fourth consecutive division title, posted an unbeaten home record for only the second time in team history, joined only one other NFL team by producing four consecutive seasons with 12+ wins and won four playoff games in claiming the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It was the club’s first title appearance in 36 years, and the Super Bowl XLI victory brought the club its fourth World Championship.

Since Polian’s 1998 arrival, no NFL team has won more regular-season games or had more overall playoff appearances than the Colts. Since 1999, the club has amassed an 89-39 (.695) mark to stand as the NFL’s winningest regular-season team by a margin of six games over its nearest competitor. The Colts are the only team to make the playoffs seven times in the last eight seasons, advancing to the divisional, conference or league title round the past four years. In addition, the Colts have won five division championships (1999, 2003-06) during Polian’s tenure. Indianapolis won its fourth straight AFC South title in 2006, becoming only the 14th team since the 1970 Merger to win four or more consecutive division championships. In setting the franchise seasonal victory record in 2005, the club’s 14-2 mark was one game shy of the best NFL seasonal total for wins. The Colts own a 57-17 overall record since the start of 2003 and are 43-12 since 2004. The club’s 30 overall wins from 2005-06 surpass 27 victories from 2003-04 and 2004-05 as the highest two-season total in club history. In 2002, Polian oversaw the hiring of Coach Tony Dungy, and together they have produced five consecutive playoff teams. In 1999, the Colts produced a 10-game turnaround from 1998, the best one-season improvement in NFL history.

Polian and pro football success are synonymous. In 19 seasons as a general manager or president with Indianapolis, Carolina and Buffalo, his teams have made 13 playoff and seven championship game appearances, while winning a World Championship. Polian’s Buffalo teams reached the Super Bowl three times and reached the big game again the year after his departure. He built Carolina into the winningest expansion franchise in sports history, taking the club to the NFC Championship game in its second season. He built Grey Cup title teams with two CFL franchises (Montreal and Winnipeg).

Polian’s teams have produced a combined regular-season record of 189-130. Discounting the start-up seasons of 1985-86 at Buffalo, 1995 at Carolina and 1998 in Indianapolis, Polian’s mark is 173-82, a .678 winning percentage. Polian has been part of 10 11+-victory seasons and has won a division championship at every stop. The club’s playoff win over Kansas City last season was Polian’s 200th as an NFL President or General Manager. Polian’s record is unique among NFL administrators. He was recognized by The Sporting News in 1999 as Executive of the Year, his fifth time as the award’s winner. Polian and the late George Young are the only executives to win the award five or more times. Polian is one of three men to win the award multiple times.

A keen judge of talent, Polian’s expertise has changed the face of the Colts. His first nine draft classes yielded QB-Peyton Manning, RBs-Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai, WR-Reggie Wayne, LBs-Mike Peterson, Rob Morris, Marcus Washington and Cato June, DEs-Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, DTs-Josh Williams and Larry Tripplett, DBs-Bob Sanders, David Macklin, Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden, OT-Ryan Diem, OGs-Steve Sciullo and Jake Scott and TE-Dallas Clark, among others. Polian also found key free agent additions in C-Jeff Saturday, K-Mike Vanderjagt, RB-Dominic Rhodes, LB-Gary Brackett and KR-Terrence Wilkins. Rhodes rushed for 1,104 yards in 2001, the most yards ever gained by an undrafted rookie free agent. Manning, James, WR-Marvin Harrison, Wayne, Freeney, Vanderjagt, OT-Tarik Glenn, Saturday, June and Sanders have earned Pro Bowl honors during Polian’s tenure.

Polian entered the league as a pro scout for Kansas City in 1978. He worked five years with the Chiefs before moving to the Chicago Blitz of the USFL as personnel director. In 1983, he was player personnel director for Winnipeg. He helped build a team that won two CFL Championships. Polian joined Buffalo in 1984 as pro personnel director and was promoted to general manager on December 30, 1985. Under Polian, Buffalo reversed a record of 8-40 from 1984-86 to a 58-22 mark from 1988-92. The Bills reached Super Bowls XXV, XXVI and XXVII during Polian’s tenure, then added a fourth Super Bowl in 1993. Polian presented former Buffalo Head Coach Marv Levy at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 2001.

Polian served as Vice President of Football Development for the NFL during the 1993 season. He helped formulate and implement the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement. Long active in league affairs, Polian serves as a member of the NFL Competition Committee, Diversity Committee, Management Council Senior Executive Committee and is Chairman of the College Relations Committee.

MODERATOR

  Peter Gammons, a highly respected Major League Baseball journalist, serves as a studio
  analyst on ESPN's Baseball Tonight. He also provides Diamond Notes, his regular
  reports during the baseball season for SportsCenter.

Gammons has served as a Major League Baseball correspondent on ESPN since 1988, and he has a Web site that links off of ESPN.com (espn.com/gammons). Besides working for ESPN, he contributes to the Boston Globe and to Baseball America.

He was voted the National Sportswriter of the Year for 1989, 1990 and 1993 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and was awarded an honorary Pointer Fellow from Yale University.

He began his career as a reporter for the Boston Globe in 1969. He has also worked for Sports Illustrated covering the National Hockey League, college basketball and Major League Baseball (1976-78, 1986-90).

In 1986, upon his return to Sports Illustrated as a senior writer following a second stay at the Globe, he wrote numerous stories covering some of baseball's most important news events and authored Inside Baseball, Sports Illustrated's weekly baseball notebook.

Gammons is also the author of "Beyond the Sixth Game," a look at free agency.

Gammons was born April 9, 1945. He is a 1969 graduate of the University of North Carolina.