![]() Warren in 2022 | |
Chicago Bears | |
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Position: | President and chief executive officer |
Personal information | |
Born: | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | November 17, 1963
Career information | |
College: | University of Pennsylvania Grand Canyon University (BS) Arizona State University (MBA) University of Notre Dame (JD) |
Career history | |
As an executive: | |
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As an administrator: | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Kevin Fulbright Warren (born November 17, 1963) is an American attorney and sports executive. He is the team president and chief executive officer (CEO) for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the commissioner of the Big Ten Conference from 2020 to 2023, overseeing negotiations for expansion of the conference. [1]
Warren played basketball in college, then attended graduate business school and law school, beginning his career in law, sports agency, and player career management. He began his NFL front office career with the St. Louis Rams in 1997, and was an executive of the organization when it won Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000. In 2015, Warren became the first African-American chief operating officer (COO) of an NFL team, during the time he worked for the Minnesota Vikings. [2] [3] [4]
Warren was born on November 17, 1963, in Phoenix, Arizona. [5] He became interested in sports at an early age, which he attributes to members of his family. [5] His father, Morrison Warren Sr., played football for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948, [6] and went on to be named president of the 1982 Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors, the first African-American to serve in this position for a major college bowl game. [7] In 2013, Arizona State University (ASU) named Morrison Warren as one of the Top 50 ASU football players of all time. [8] Kevin's eldest brother, Morrison Warren Jr., played football at Stanford in the early 1960s and was one of the first African-American scholarship student-athletes at Stanford. [2]
As a young boy, Kevin was struck by a car and forced into traction and a body cast for many months. Doctors informed Warren that there was a chance he might not walk again, and therefore it was highly unlikely that he would ever fulfill any dreams he had of playing sports. [9] A doctor told Kevin that aquatic rehabilitation exercises may be his only hope at recovery. Since there was not an easily accessible pool in Kevin's neighborhood, Kevin's family used the money from the insurance settlement received following the car accident to construct a pool in his backyard. Aided by his dedication to swimming, Warren recovered and went on to be recruited to play college basketball.
After graduating from Marcos De Niza High School , Warren entered the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The following year, he left Penn to attend Grand Canyon University, a Christian university in Arizona where he earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration in 1986. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Following his graduation from Grand Canyon University, Warren attended Arizona State University where he earned his Master of Business Administration in 1988. He subsequently attended the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 1990. [13] In November 2019, Warren was inducted into the 42nd annual W.P. Carey School of Business Alumni Hall of Fame at Arizona State University. [14]
Warren began his college basketball playing days at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the Quakers’ 1981-82 Ivy League Championship team before playing for two years at GCU. At GCU, Warren scored 1,118 points and averaged 20.0 points per game, the fourth-best career scoring average in the school's history. In Warren's senior season of 1985-86, he averaged 23.3 points per game, which also ranks as the fourth-best season average in GCU basketball history. On November 17, 1984, Warren posted a 42-point performance against Concordia College. That performance is the fourth-highest single game scoring total in school history. [13]
Warren earned GTE/CoSida Second Team Academic All-America honors as a senior, and added NAIA Academic All-America & NAIA District 7 Basketball Team honors as both a junior and senior. He posted a cumulative 3.49 GPA while at GCU. [15] [16] In March, 2012, Warren was honored as the 16th individual, and the 5th member from the University's basketball team, to be inducted into the Grand Canyon University Athletics Hall of Fame. [12] [13]
Warren is licensed to practice law with the State Bars of Kansas and Michigan, [17] and in Washington, D.C. [2] [18] [19]
Warren began his law career at Bond, Schoeneck & King in Overland Park, Kansas (1990–91). [9] As an associate there, he received his first exposure to sports law. The firm specialized in representing universities that were charged with NCAA violations. [20] While at the firm, Warren worked with former Southeastern Conference Commissioner, Michael Slive, [21] and collegiate sports attorney Mike Glazier on many high-profile cases. [22]
In 1991, while teaching a class at Notre Dame, Warren befriended All-American defensive lineman Chris Zorich. [23] In 1992, Warren established his own sports and entertainment agency, Kevin Warren & Associates in Overland Park, Kansas, with Zorich becoming his first client. [24] Warren also represented Hall of Fame Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Will Shields. [25] During his time in Kansas City, Warren also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. [24]
In 1997, Warren was hired by then St. Louis Rams head coach Dick Vermeil in a legal/front office position. [26] [27] Kevin Warren held the position of Vice President of Player Programs/Football Legal Counsel for the St. Louis Rams from 1997 to 2000 before his promotion to Vice President of Football Administration. [28] Working closely with Vermeil, Warren gained insight into how football operations functioned. Warren credits this experience for providing him with priceless knowledge and credits Coach Vermeil for providing him his big break into the NFL. [29] Warren earned a Super Bowl Ring with the Rams when they defeated the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. [30] Vermeil praised Warren in 2012 as being "as critical and important a part of [the] Rams Super Bowl Championship team as anybody in [the] organization." [15]
In 2001, Warren joined the Detroit Lions as the senior vice president of business operations and general counsel. During his stint with the Lions, Warren was recognized by Crain's Detroit Business on their “40 Under 40” list, which honored the top 40 Detroit business leaders under the age of 40. [31]
Following his time with the Lions, Warren returned to Phoenix where he worked for the international law firm Greenberg Traurig. In this role Warren represented the Wilf family and Minnesota Vikings ownership group in what became a successful $600 million deal to purchase the Minnesota Vikings. [32] [33] Zygi Wilf and five partners purchased the Minnesota Vikings from Red McCombs in 2005. [34] Forbes estimated the 2019 value of the franchise at US$2.7 billion. [35]
Warren represented the Vikings’ new ownership group in their purchase of the team. The Vikings then hired Warren as their executive vice president of legal affairs and chief administrative officer in 2005. In 2007, NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell appointed Warren to the NFL's working group on emergency planning. [36] In September 2013, Warren was named a member of the NFL Committee on Workplace Diversity, which works to enhance and promote diversity at every level of the NFL. [2] [37] [38]
In February 2015, Warren was promoted to the role of chief operating officer. As COO, he oversaw all aspects of the business operations of the franchise. He restructured the management of the organization, which included creating new senior leadership positions, overseeing administration and finance, human resources, legal, marketing and fan engagement, and sales and corporate sponsorships. Warren also served as a member of the Vikings’ internal stadium development team and represented the team at NFL meetings. [39]
As COO of the Minnesota Vikings, Warren oversaw the team's long-running quest for a new stadium, to be named U.S. Bank Stadium, the largest public/private construction project in Minnesota's history. [40] Warren was instrumental in selecting designers, developers, legal advisors and the Vikings' interim location for play, TCF Bank Stadium, [41] while their new $1.13 billion stadium was under construction. [42] The Vikings began the 2016 NFL season in the new venue. [43] Even before construction was completed, U.S. Bank Stadium was awarded Super Bowl LII. [44] [45]
Warren was also responsible for overseeing construction of the Vikings' new practice facility in Eagan, Twin Cities Orthopedic Performance Center, which opened in March 2018. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in June 2018 with attendees including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Twin Cities Orthopedics CEO Troy Simonson, and Governor Mark Dayton. [46] He was also responsible for negotiating the naming rights of the facility. The facility is only the first phase in a planned 200-acre development which is expected to include offices, retail, residential, hospitality, and a conference center. The Vikings’ headquarters will be the development's anchor. [47] [48] [49]
Kevin Warren was named Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference on June 4, 2019. Warren followed Jim Delany as the 6th Big Ten commissioner and was the first African-American leader of the Big Ten and also the first African-American leader of any of the Power Five conferences. He assumed Big Ten Commissioner-Elect duties in September 2019 and officially assumed the position of Commissioner in January 2020. Under Warren's oversight, the Big Ten persevered through the COVID-19 pandemic and he expanded the conference with the future additions of USC and UCLA starting with the 2024 season, with Washington and Oregon later following suit after his tenure as Commissioner ended. [50] [51] [52] Not long after USC and UCLA's announcement that they would be joining the conference, he oversaw the Big Ten's signing of a new seven-year media rights deal with NBC, Fox, and CBS, estimated to be worth at least $7 billion.
On January 12, 2023, Warren was named the new team president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Bears. [53]
Warren has won the Fritz Pollard Alliance Salute to Excellence Award following 4 different NFL seasons. [54] [55] [56] The Twin Cities Business Journal recognized Warren as a Minority Business Leader in 2006 and honored him with the Corporate Counsel Award for Private Company-Large in 2015. [57] In 2017, on the eve of Super Bowl LI, Warren was presented with the inaugural Texas Southern University Pioneer Award. [58] In 2019, Warren received GENYOUth's Vanguard award presented by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and GENYOUth Founder Alexis Glick. [59] Warren also received the Trailblazer Award at the Minnesota Sports Awards for his work with the Minnesota Vikings and his upcoming role as Big Ten commissioner. [60] In December 2019, Warren was featured on the cover of Sports Business Journal alongside Serena Williams, LeBron James, and Adam Silver where he received the honor of "Best Hire" of the year. [61] [62]
His professional associations include: serving as a member of the board of directors of Grand Canyon Education, Inc. [63] and the board of trustees of Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota. [64] He is also member of the Notre Dame Law School Advisory Council. [65] In March 2016, Warren was appointed by University of Minnesota President Eric W. Kaler to serve as a member of the selection committee for the role of Athletic Director. [66] His civic roles include being on the General Board of the YMCA of the Twin Cities; [67] the board of directors for the Page Education Foundation; [68] the University of Minnesota's Medical Foundation Board of Directors, and U of M's Medicine and Health Board of Overseers. [69] [70] Warren is a life member of the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors. [65] In addition, Warren is a member of the 2016-2017 Board of Trustees for the Minneapolis Institute of Art. [71] Warren previously served as a board member on the board of directors of Securian Financial Group. [72]
In 2014, Warren and his wife Greta created Carolyn's Comforts, in conjunction with the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, donating $1 million to honor the legacy of his sister Carolyn Elaine Warren-Knox who died of brain cancer in October 2014. Since the inception of Carolyn's Comforts, over 150 financial grants have been made to families in need. [73]
Warren and his wife Greta have also "adopted" Lucy Craft Laney Community School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [74] For each of the past 5 years, the Warrens have donated thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies to the student body. [75] Among the resources they have contributed are school supplies, school uniforms, and athletic uniforms. [76]
Kevin Warren and his wife Greta were married in 1992. [77] Greta holds a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University. Together, the couple have a daughter, Peri, and a son, Powers. Powers is a tight end at Michigan State, transferring from Mississippi State following his graduation and receiving his degree. He also attended IMG Academy. [78] [79] The family resides in the greater Chicago area. [80] Warren is a Christian. [81]
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion team, the team began play the following year. They are named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia, reflecting the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota. The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis.
Paul John Tagliabue is an American lawyer who was the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL). He took the position in 1989 and served until September 1, 2006. He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL. Tagliabue also served as Chairman of Board of Directors of Georgetown University from 2009 to 2015.
Alan Cedric Page is an American retired Minnesota state Supreme Court judge and former professional football player.
Korey Damont Stringer was an American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. On August 1, 2001, Stringer died from complications brought on by heat stroke during the Vikings' training camp in Mankato, Minnesota.
Graduel Christopher Darwin Carter is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–1989), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Miami Dolphins (2002). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.
Dennis Earl Green was an American football coach. During his National Football League (NFL) career, Green coached the Minnesota Vikings for 10 seasons. He coached the Vikings to eight playoff appearances in nine years, despite having seven different starting quarterbacks in those postseasons. He was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor in 2018.
Will Herthie Shields is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Outland Trophy. Shields played his entire professional career for the Kansas City Chiefs and never missed a single game in his entire 14-year career. Shields was slected to 12 Pro Bowls, was a 3× First-Team All-Pro, a 4x Second-Team All-Pro, and was selected to the NFL 2000's All-Decade Team. He won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in the 2003 season, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Matthew Robert Birk is an American former professional football player who was a center for in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He spent most of his professional career playing for the Minnesota Vikings. He was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, running alongside Scott Jensen in the 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election.
Zygmunt "Zygi" Wilf is a German-American billionaire businessman and real estate developer. He is the chairman and co-owner of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the majority owner of MLS's Orlando City SC and NWSL's Orlando Pride.
Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona.
Jack Brewer is a former American football safety who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Arizona Cardinals. He attended Grapevine High School in Grapevine, Texas, where he competed in football and track, and played football while earning both bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Minnesota. Brewer now serves as the CEO of The Brewer Group, Chair of Center for Opportunity Now at America First Policy Institute, White House Presidential Appointee as the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, Board Member, for the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation, Vice Chair of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group, Founder & Executive Director of The Jack Brewer Foundation, on the Board of Directors at the Geo Group, Inc, and a Fox News, Yahoo Finance, & NewsMax TV Media Contributor.
Brad Childress is a former American football coach. He worked for over 40 years as a coach for various college programs and National Football League (NFL) franchises. He was the offensive coordinator for Wisconsin from 1994 to 1998, the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2005, the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2006 to 2010, the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2012, and the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016.
Martin Nance is a marketing executive and entrepreneur who formerly played as an American football wide receiver. A graduate of Miami University, the University of Michigan and Harvard Business School, he played college football at Miami University in Ohio, where he still holds numerous receiving records.
Christopher Robert Zorich is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Zorich was the athletic director at Chicago State University from May 2018 to July 2019.
U.S. Bank Stadium is an enclosed stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Built on the former site of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the indoor stadium opened in 2016 and is the home of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL); it also hosts early season college baseball games of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Robert Allen Stein is a former American football linebacker. He played collegiately for the University of Minnesota as a defensive end and place kicker. He was a two-time All-American, Academic All-American, and 3-time Academic All-Big Ten player.
Adrian Lewis Peterson is an American former football running back who played fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, setting the freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards in 2004. Named a unanimous All-American that year, he became the first freshman to finish as a runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Peterson finished his college career as the Sooners' third all-time leading rusher.
Mark Wilf is an American businessman who is the president and co-owner of the Minnesota Vikings, and chairman and co-owner of Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride.
Noor Davis is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Stanford and was signed by the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. In 2011, he was awarded the Butkus Award for the top linebacker in high school, as well as being named to the first-team of the USA Today All-USA high school football team and participated in the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game. Davis graduated with a Bachelors and Masters from Stanford University.
Patrick Elflein is an American football center who is a free agent. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he won the Rimington Trophy as a senior in 2016. Elflein was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft.
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