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| 21 |
TERDEMA USSERY, 44
President and CEO, Dallas Mavericks |
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| Steve Nash is not Mavs owner Mark Cuban's most vital point man. It's Ussery, a former Nike executive and an ex-CBA commissioner. In a key maneuver to improve the team's financial situation, he helped secure funds for a new arena through a $125 million bond that was approved by Texas voters. He also hangs with Roy Jones Jr. (No. 70). |
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| 22 |
OZZIE NEWSOME, 47
Senior VP for Football Operations, Baltimore Ravens |
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| If players want a blueprint for becoming an NFL executive, they'd be wise to study the path of this Hall of Famer. The former Browns tight end was a player personnel director and in 2002 was named the NFL's first black G.M. Since Newsome, the league's 2001 exec of the year, two other NFL teams now have African-American general managers. |
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| 23 |
KEITH TRIBBLE, 47
Executive Director, Orange Bowl |
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| Not all bowl presidents are white guys who wear ugly blazers. Under Tribble's direction, the Orange Bowl has seen an increase in sponsorship from $300,000 to more than $2 million annually. In 1997 Tribble helped form the Super Alliance, which ultimately became the blueprint for the BCS. So you can thank (or blame) him for the BCS. |
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| 24 |
KERY DAVIS, 45
Senior VP Sports Programming, HBO |
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| The man picks fights all day. Two years ago Davis became the network's boxing czar, making him one of the most powerful figures in the sport, which relies on HBO for much-needed exposure. His network's fight stable includes Vernon Forrest, Oscar De La Hoya (No. 63), Sugar Shane Mosely and, most important, Roy Jones Jr. (No. 70). |
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| 25 |
BILLY HUNTER, 60
Executive Director, National Basketball Players Association
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| The former U.S. attorney presides over the highest-paid union membership in sports. During Hunter's seven-year tenure, the average NBA salary has grown from $2.3 million to $4.6 million. Hunter held the players together during the 1998-99 lockout, but he'll soon be tested again. The current collective bargaining pact expires after next season. |
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| 26 |
DON NOMURA, 45
Agent
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Nomura moved to the U.S. in 1981 in hopes of breaking into baseball as a coach or team executive but instead ended up becoming an agent. In 1995 he found a loophole in the agreement between the major leagues in Japan and the U.S. that allowed Hideo Nomo, a top pitcher in Japan, to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That move all but destroyed the wall that had prevented Japanese players from jumping to the major leagues. |
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| 27 |
JOE DUMARS, 39
President Basketball Operations, Detroit Pistons
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| He put a clamp on Michael Jordan as a defensive stopper in the late '80s for the two-time champion Pistons. Now he's trying to win a title from the front office. Just three years after Dumars took over, Detroit had the best record in the East this season -- in part because Joe bested MJ again, in a key six-player trade with the Wizards before the season. |
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| 28 |
DAN GUERRERO, 51
Athletic Director, UCLA
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| How do you let everyone know there's a new sheriff in town? Hire a black football coach after less than eight months on the job. One of only four Latino ADs in Division I-A, Guerrero fired Bob Toledo and hired Karl Dorrell, the Broncos receivers coach, who became only the fourth African-American head coach in Division I-A football. |
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| 29 |
GENE WASHINGTON, 56
Director of Football Operations, NFL
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| Washington, a receiver with the 49ers and Lions from 1969 to '79, is judge and jury for NFL players who get too physical on the field. He levies fines and suspensions to discourage excessive and gratuitous hits. Yet Washington's true influence stems from the respect he commands from both management and players alike. |
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| 30-31 |
CHARLES WANG, 58, and SANJAY KUMAR, 41
Co-owners, New York Islanders |
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The Islanders were floundering after having had three different owners in four years before the Shanghai-born and Queens-bred Wang and Kumar, a Sri Lankan who immigrated to the U.S. when he was 14 in
1976, purchased the team for $190 million in 2000. The duo procured big-name talent (Alexei Yashin, Michael Peca) and raised the team's payroll to $41 million, helping the Isles make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Wang, a huge basketball fan and a founder of software giant Computer Associates, considered buying the Grizzlies and the Hornets, and many believe he has his eyes on the Nets should the YankeeNets group put the team up for sale. Landing the Nets could entice Nassau County lawmakers to build a revenue-generating new arena in Long Island. |
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| 32 |
STEVE MILLS, 43
President of Sports Team Operations, Madison Square Garden |
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| Mills manages some $700 million in assets -- the combined value of the Rangers, the Knicks and the Liberty, the three teams that occupy the World's Most Famous Arena. He's also got juice a few blocks away at the NBA office, where he spent 16 years, rising to senior vice president. There he helped form and develop the original Dream Team. |
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| 33 |
ROD GRAVES, 44
Vice President of Football Operations, Arizona Cardinals |
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| After working his way through the Bears and Cardinals organizations, Graves, a former scout, in January became the second of three African-American G.M.'s in the NFL. His charge: turn around a listing franchise with a modest budget. So far he has generated buzz by signing Emmitt Smith, the league's alltime leading rusher. |
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| 34 |
JORGE HIDALGO, 39
Executive Vice President of Sports, Telemundo |
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Four years ago Hidalgo left Univision for rival Telemundo, and he has since established the No. 2 Spanish-language network as the premier Spanish sports programmer. When Hidalgo arrived, Telemundo had five sports properties; now it has 13. "I wouldn't mind if Telemundo decided to open up an all-sports network in Spanish," says Hidalgo, who aspires to lift Telemundo above his former employer in the ratings. |
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| 35 |
BILLY KING, 37
General Manager, Philadelphia 76ers |
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| The NBA's youngest G.M. -- and the buffer between All-Star Allen Iverson (No. 48) and coach Larry Brown -- is fly enough to hang with players and savvy enough to hold his own with executives and agents. Players love his pedigree (King played at Duke); league types value his NBA cred (he was an assistant for four years under Brown with the Pacers). |
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| 36 |
JAMES HARRIS, 55
Vice President of Player Personnel, Jacksonville Jaguars |
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| In 1969 Harris became the second black quarterback to play in the NFL, and five years later he was the first to start a playoff game. Those experiences groomed Harris as a leader. A terrific talent evaluator -- as Baltimore's pro-player personnel director he helped build the 2001 Super Bowl champs. This year he drafted quarterback Byron Leftwich. |
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| 37 |
DUSTY BAKER, 53
Manager, Chicago Cubs |
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| Never has a black manager been so hot. After taking the Giants to the World Series last season, the three-time manager of the year signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Cubs. Players love Baker's cool and fans seem to embrace his homespun style. With Lou Piniella and Joe Torre, he may be one of baseball's most recognizable managers. |
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| 38 |
KIM NG, 34
Vice President and Assistant General Manager, Los Angeles Dodgers
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| Write it down: Ng may become baseball's first female G.M. She has impressed fellow big league execs, who describe her as tough and intelligent. Before moving to L.A. in 2001, she was an assistant G.M. with the Yankees. Known as a fierce negotiator, Ng has won several high-profile arbitration cases, including one involving Mariano Rivera. |
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| 39 |
AARON GOODWIN, 42
Agent |
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The man who orchestrated NBA All-Star Gary Payton's mid-year exit from Seattle might soon be the envy of his peers. Why? He's reportedly on the verge of signing LeBron James (No. 101). Goodwin says he's negotiated over $700 million in contracts for his clients, but an alliance with James could make that figure look like meal money. |
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| 40 |
VENUS WILLIAMS, 22
Tennis Player |
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| Not as dominant as she once was, Big Sis is still a force for woman athletes: Her $40 million Reebok contract and endorsement deals with the likes of McDonald's and Doublemint gum are testament to her broad appeal. And though she's lost ground to Little Sis Serena (No. 3), Venus remains a huge draw on the women's tour. |
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