Warsaw Sports Business Center

"Who is this guy?" was the question on everyone's lips when first-year pro triathlete Jesse Thomas came out of nowhere to win this year's prestigious Avia Wildflower Triathlon with a time of 4:04:45. Folks at the Lundquist College of Business knew Thomas as a 2009 graduate of the school's MBA program in the sports marketing track with a secondary concentration in entrepreneurship. After graduating, Thomas put off his job search to follow his dream of becoming a professional athlete.

A grand new tradition began last month, with the presentation of the first-ever Jim Warsaw and Annalee Thurston Award at a festive dinner gala during the BNP Paribas Open in southern California. Created to honor the legacies of Jim Warsaw and Annalee Thurston, the award recognizes individuals, female or male, who have created and advanced opportunities for women in the business of sport. Its first recipient was Stacey Allaster, chairwoman and CEO of the Women's Tennis Association, who has led the way in securing equal prize money for male and female tennis players.

“Amazing!" “Phenomenal!" “Unbelievable!"--once again, the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center's annual New York trip was a huge success, providing MBA candidates with unprecedented entrée into the sports business world, including the opportunity for in-depth meetings with five of the twenty most influential people in sports--in just three short days. Still jazzed from their whirlwind experience, participants shared their excitement and inspiration.

Check out great career tips shared by MBA alums working at Nike during the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center's recent field trip. Plus, read success stories from graduates now working at Kraft Foods, Deloitte, and Hitachi Consulting. Curious where other grads found work?

"After taking my official visit, I learned about their sports marketing program, and they jumped to the top of my list," said five-star football recruit Anthony Wallace, explaining his decision to join the Ducks next year. The Lundquist College of Business's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, to which Wallace referred, is just one example of the melding of academics and athletics at the University of Oregon.

The lights, the cameras, the action—ESPN College GameDay arrived in Eugene for its broadcast of Oregon vs. Stanford October 2. And trust us, GameDay brings the brightest lights and best action in television production. Producers for ESPN and Octagon, a leading sports and entertainment marketing agency, also continued the tradition of crewing Warsaw Sports Business Club students as volunteers, giving them the chance to experience first-hand what it takes to put on an event of such magnitude.