Colangelo Joins Sports Biz School

Jerry Colangelo, a widely admired sports executive and former owner of NBA’s Phoenix Suns and MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks, is lending not only his name but his expertise to the Colangelo School of Sports Business at tiny Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

The school announced Oct. 25 the formation of the sports business school, and Colangelo will share his own 40 years of experience as well as medals, trophies and other items from his personal memorabilia collection with the school.

“People need to be encouraged, be given opportunities, and I have a lot I can share with my experience over 40 years,” Colangelo said. “And so, you can [only] learn so much out of textbooks. A lot of it is in the trenches, a lot of it is being around people who have done it.”

Colangelo certainly has, being responsible for much of Phoenix’s professional sports history since arriving in 1968 as the expansion Suns’ general manager. Some of it will be on display in the school’s arena, where it envisions hosting Division I sporting events in a few years.

“From a local standpoint, there’s an incredible history of what’s transpired and I’ve got a lot of stuff to support that story,” Colangelo said.

The private Christian university believes Colangelo’s contacts could help facilitate a move to college sports’ highest level. Schools can no longer make the jump to Division I as independents; they must be invited to join a conference.

Colangelo, however, has resigned his position on the GCU board to focus on the business school, where he’ll lecture, line up guest speakers from the sports world and mentor an outstanding second-year student.

The school will host the first game in a new arena in November against Arizona State. It aspires to comparison with Gonzaga and Marquette universities, small religious schools with powerhouse basketball programs for their size. Among the school’s goals are 12,000 students on campus in three years, and 1,000 of them with sports business majors.

The 5,500-capacity arena hosted its first concert Sept. 23, headlined by Casting Crowns, followed by shows with The David Crowder Band and Switchfoot. Lady Antebellum and Third Day concerts are on the books in November.