The sports law field may never eclipse its big brother, sports business, but it won’t be Jeff Moorad’s fault.
The San Diego Padres CEO presented Villanova University School of Law, his alma mater, with a $5 million check last month for the purposes of creating The Jeffrey S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law.
“This transformative gift will add to the continued academic excellence of the Villanova University School of Law and serve as a fitting legacy to Jeff Moorad’s loyalty to his alma mater,” The Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, and President of Villanova University, said in a statement.
The Center is one of only a handful of institutes in the U.S. dedicated to the study of sports law. Its objective will be to “prepare students for careers in amateur and professional sports through rigorous academic study, innovative programs, internship opportunities, scholarship and research.”
Moorad said that the Villanova University School of Law “provided a foundation for me to pursue my dream of coupling a traditional law degree with a career in sports. I’ve always believed it’s most important to give back, and, at this stage of my career, am excited to provide for this new Center for Sports Law. It’s my hope that the ambitions of young law students and legal scholars who share my passion for sports will be furthered and that Villanova will become synonymous with the study of sports law.”
John Gotanda, Dean of the Villanova University School of Law, added that “it is extraordinary to have the support and guidance of an industry leader and innovator such as Jeff Moorad. Villanova Law students have long displayed their interest in this field and, through Jeff’s generosity, they will now have the opportunity to follow in his footsteps, training to become the next generation of sports executives.”
Moorad began specializing in athlete representation in 1983, focusing mainly on Major League Baseball. Two years later, he joined forces with Leigh Steinberg to form one of the most dynamic partnerships in the history of sports representation, covering both Major League Baseball and the National Football League. The successful duo negotiated more than $3 billion in athlete contracts throughout their 18 years together, including representing Pro Football Hall of Famers Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon and Thurman Thomas. Moorad negotiated a number of landmark contracts for a baseball client base that included Manny Ramirez, Eric Karros, Ivan Rodriguez, Mo Vaughn, Shawn Green and Raul Mondesi.
Moorad’s career took a turn to the management side in 2004 when he was named a member of the executive team of the Arizona Diamondbacks. While with Arizona, he was a General Partner, Chief Executive Officer, the spokesperson for the team’s ownership group, and oversaw, along with Ken Kendrick, the day-to-day operations of the franchise. Moorad has served as Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Padres since February 2009. At that time, he and a California-based group reached an agreement to purchase 100 percent ownership of the team over several years.
