United States Olympic Committee chairman speaks at UO Warsaw Sports Marketing Center

EUGENE, Ore. -- (Oct. 24, 2007) -- As attention turns to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the James H. Warsaw Sports Marketing Center in the UO's Lundquist College of Business will host Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) board of directors, on campus on Friday, Oct. 26.

Ueberroth will travel to Oregon to speak with students, faculty and staff of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center and honor the program for its contribution to the Olympic movement. In addition, he will host a lecture about the current state of the United States Olympic Committee and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The talk, which is free and open to the public, begins at 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 26, in 182 Lillis Hall, 925 E. 13th Ave., on the UO campus.

Ueberroth was honored as the 1984 Man of the Year by Time Magazine after his successful management of the Los Angeles Olympic Games. His financial and operational activities set the standard for Olympic Games and he's been a leading proponent for recent bids to host the Games in the U.S.

After the Los Angeles Olympics, Ueberroth served as commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1989, restoring profitability to the big leagues. Among his achievements were increasing game attendance, improving crowd control and tightening alcohol management at stadiums. Currently, Ueberroth is managing member of the board of directors of Contrarian Group, Inc., an investment and management company. He is also owner and co-chairman of the Pebble Beach Company, and a member of the Boards of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company, Hilton Hotels Corporation and Ambassadors International (AMIE).

"The Warsaw Sports Marketing Center is a world-class program preparing students to lead the increasingly global and complex sports business industry," said Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the United States Olympic Committee board of directors. "I'm excited to make the trip to the University of Oregon where amateur athletic history runs deep and passion for sport and sports business continues to put it on the map."

"Mr. Ueberroth transformed the way elite sporting events and professional leagues are managed and we're honored to host his visit this week," said Paul Swangard, Warsaw Center managing director. "The accomplishments of our current and former Warsaw Center students and faculty have raised our profile on the national and international levels and being recognized by the USOC is exciting."

Joining Ueberroth will be Rick Burton, former executive director of the Warsaw Center. Burton is currently the chief marketing officer for the USOC.

"It's great to be back at the UO and see the continued growth of the Warsaw Center," said Burton. "Knowing that there are nearly 200 sports business programs in the U.S. now following the lead of the UO program, I'm proud of my association with Jim Warsaw and a talented faculty and staff, great students and alumni who created this category of business education."

The Warsaw Sports Marketing Center has become a national leader in bringing relevant speakers to UO. Since 1997, more than 500 speakers have traveled to campus to share their experiences including Donna Lopiano, former executive director, Women's Sports Foundation, Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Phil Knight, co-founder and former CEO of Nike.

Established in 1993, the James H. Warsaw Sports Marketing Center is one of the premier sports education and research programs in the world. Housed within the University of Oregon’s Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, it has become a model for sports business programs across the country. Students and faculty at the center have conducted consulting projects for the USOC and several alumni have served in both internships and full-time positions at the Colorado Springs, Colo. headquarters. Most recently, the center expanded its Olympic efforts by teaming up with Fudan University in Shanghai, China to offer an executive MBA program for members of the Chinese Olympic Committee.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon’s flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Pat Walsh, the Ulum Group, 541-434-7021, pwalsh@ulum.com

Links: James H. Warsaw Sports Marketing Center in the UO's Lundquist College of Business, http://lcb.uoregon.edu/warsaw/

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