Jim Steeg

Jim Steeg (born November 29, 1950, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American sports executive.^[1] He is considered throughout the National Football League (NFL) as the individual most responsible for growing the Super Bowl into the most popular one-day sporting event in the world.^[2][3][4][5]

He was born in Boston and raised in Ft. Wayne, earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Miami University in Ohio and an MBA from Wake Forest. He is married to former USA Today and Sports Illustrated Writer and he is a father of two children.^[5]

Steeg began his career in football in 1975 as the chief accountant for the Miami Dolphins, earning an annual salary of $12,000. During his time with the Dolphins, he took on various roles, including balancing the team's books and helping to negotiate player contracts.^[6]

In 1979, he joined the NFL as the Director of Administration, overseeing the Super Bowl and the draft.^[7] His tenure at the NFL lasted until 2005. He was responsible for numerous innovations, including the introduction of celebrity national anthem performances, superstar halftime shows, corporate hospitality villages, and the NFL Experience Fan Fest.^[8]

Currently he work as a sports advisory to entities such as the NHL, Pac-12, USC, UCLA, and the Rose Bowl. He directed the inaugural Pac-12 Football Championship Game and chaired the USFL Advisory Board.^[6]

He was appointed by Mayor Kevin Faulconer to San Diego's Citizens Stadium Advisory Group (CSAG) in 2015 that identified a site and financing plan for a new football stadium in 110 days.^[9] He is on the advisory board of Pacific Pro Football, a developmental football league that has not yet launched.^[10]

Steeg has guest lectured and taught at universities including UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, Wake Forest, San Diego State, Stanford, and UC Berkeley. From 2017 to 2019, he taught "Contemporary Issues in American Sports" at Duke University's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).^[11]

He has served on the boards of the Downtown YMCA of San Diego, the Make A Wish Foundation of San Diego, and the University of San Diego Athletic Department Executive Cabinet. He was co-chair of the Special Events Committee for the 2008 United States Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines in LaJolla, Calif. He has served on the boards of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of San Diego, Hunger Related Events, and the Babcock School at Wake Forest. He was instrumental in raising funds for the Ramsey (N.J.) High School Athletic Department.^[12]

In his 35 years with the National Football League (NFL) ^[13] managed all aspects of the Super Bowl, including site selection, stadium preparation, shows, accommodations, hospitality, broadcasting, transportation, security, design, ticketing, events, and local community relations, overseeing up to 10,000 employees on site..^[14][15]

He also managed Super Bowl charitable events that raised more than US$50 million for host communities and children. He also implemented the NFL's Super Bowl Minority and Women-Owned Emerging Business Program in the early 1990s.^{[16][17][18][19][20] [21][22][23][24]}

Steeg introduced key Super Bowl elements, including Jumbotron screens, enhanced-audio TV broadcasts, TV access at concessions, entertainment plazas, corporate hospitality villages, and environmental recycling.^[25]

Beyond his duties with the Super Bowl, Steeg had oversight of the NFL post-season schedule, the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, the American Bowl Games in Berlin and Barcelona, the NFL/Sr. PGA-Champions Tour Golf Tournament and all of the NFL's made-for-TV-events. Steeg developed the NFL Draft into a major annual event.^[26]

From November 2004 until April 2010, Steeg was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the NFL's San Diego Chargers, where he was in charge of all business operations for the team.^{[27] [28]} and Mexico,^[29] as well as improved Chargers' alumni relations.^[30]

During his tenure, the team's revenue streams grew through sponsorships, stadium concessions, merchandise and parking, as well as record sales of tickets, club seats and suites.^[31] Under his watch, the Chargers were the first NFL team to experiment with Kangaroo TV (FanVision) and WiseDV. On March 31, 2010, Steeg left the Chargers to pursue career in consulting.^[32][33]

In 2002, Steeg was honored as a member of the inaugural class of the Special Events Hall of Fame.^[34] In 2005, he was recognized as the Hoosier Celebrity of the Year by the Mad Anthony's, a charitable organization in Fort Wayne, Ind.^[35][36] In 2008, he received the Pete Rozelle Award from the New Orleans Touchdown Club.^[37] He was selected to the DeMolay Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Phi Delta Theta Sports Hall of Fame the same year. Sports Business Journal recognized Steeg as part of its prestigious 2020 Class of The Champions: Pioneers and Innovators in Sports Business.^[38]