Sports Management Legend Alan Nero to Give Weckwerth Lecture at Alma Mater Springfield College
October 27, 2009SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Oct. 27, 2009 – Springfield College graduate Alan Nero, who was ranked by “Sporting News” as the sixth most influential behind-the-scenes person in sports, will return to his alma mater as the featured speaker at the 17th Annual Weckwerth Lecture on Nov. 5, at 6 p.m., in Fuller Arts Center.
Nero, who is managing director of Octagon’s baseball division, has negotiated some of the largest contracts in major league baseball. He is known worldwide in the sports management industry and represents 50 major league players, field managers and Baseball Hall of Fame members. Octagon, which was voted the Top Sports Agency by “Sports Business Journal,” represents more than 300 clients, corporations and events worldwide.
Nero entered sports management in 1977 after a successful career as an educator and coach. He graduated from Springfield College in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, and was captain of the wrestling team and sports editor of the student newspaper.
As head wrestling coach at the University of Rhode Island (URI), Nero coached teams that won three New England and four conference championships and were ranked nationally. He was a three-time New England coach of the year, and is a member of the URI Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1977, Nero focused his attention on his financial service clients and developed innovative ways to insure athletes. In 1983, he founded CSMG, the Chicago-based multisport athlete representation firm, which was acquired by Octagon in 2008. Recently, “Sports Business Journal” named Nero as one of the top 20 most influential agents in sports.
Springfield College’s Weckwerth Lecture annually brings leading experts in the fields of sport management and recreation to address emerging trends in these fields. The lectures, which are open to the public, professionals in these fields and students, are named in honor of the late Springfield College Professor Charles F. Weckwerth.
Springfield College offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in sport management and recreation, fields in which career opportunities are fast expanding as Americans have increasingly more time and options for leisure.
