By Harrison Miller & David Mildenberg
Sports are a pillar of North Carolina’s economy and culture. Ranging from youth leagues to the professional level, sports fuel rivalries, fill hotels and restaurants, and become centerpieces of development projects across the state. North Carolina is home to three major league professional sports teams; two annual PGA Golf tournaments; 11 minor league baseball clubs; 18 Division 1 collegiate athletic programs; and one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Billionaire David Tepper paid $2.3 billion for the Carolina Panthers, while the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Hurricanes are valued at $1.3 billion and $420 million, respectively, by Forbes magazine. Here are 20 sports executives in North Carolina responsible for ensuring that the games ultimately pay off.
Click the names below to read more
Path-setter:
Tera Black
chief operating officer, Charlotte Checkers
Charlotte
Steady driver:
Mark Brazil
tournament director, Wyndham Championship
Greensboro
Kick-craze:
Gary Buete
chief executive officer, N.C. FC Youth
Raleigh
Scandals? what scandals?
Bubba Cunningham
athletic director, UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
Deacon dreams:
John Currie
athletic director, Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem
Turnaround time:
Jon Gilbert
athletic director, East Carolina University
Greenville
Rocking the Rockers:
Ken Lehner
president, High Point Rockers
High Point
Kick-starter:
Steve Malik
owner, North Carolina Football Club
Raleigh
Race-tracker:
Steve O’Donnell
executive vice president, NASCAR
Charlotte
Beyond the course:
Tom Pashley
president, Pinehurst Resort
Pinehurst
Take me out to the ballgame:
Dan Rajkowski
chief operating officer, Charlotte Knights
Charlotte
Going private:
Marcus Smith
chief executive officer, Speedway Motorsports Inc.
Charlotte
Chipping for charity:
Gary Sobba
tournament director, Wells Fargo Championship
Charlotte
Returning home:
Meredith Starkey
chief marketing officer, Carolina Panthers
Charlotte
Revving college sports:
Ben Sutton Jr.
founder, Teall Capital Partners LLC
Winston-Salem
Youth-booster:
Que Tucker
commissioner, N.C. High School Athletic Association
Raleigh
Puck power:
Don Waddell
general manager, Carolina Hurricanes
Raleigh
No slam dunk:
Fred Whitfield
president, Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte
Startup-stalwart:
Mark Zarthar
president, Fayetteville Woodpeckers
Fayetteville
Going national:
Amy Yakola
executive associate commissioner and chief of external affairs, Atlantic Coast Conference
Greensboro
