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Agent Spotlight: Ken Staninger

Western Montana offers great hunting, great horseback riding, and an agent with 14 NFL clients and 5 CFL clients.

For about 30 years, Sports Agent Ken Staninger has been representing football players from his home in Missoula, Montana. Not surprisingly, he mostly works with players from the Pacific Northwest. When you hire Staninger, you get a pure businessman.

The first client of Staninger Sports Agency (now included on the list of Sports Agencies under the Links tab) was Guy Bingham from the University of Montana. He has gone on to represent players like Mark Rypien, one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time (who didn’t love Rypien to Monk?). Rypien is probably Staninger’s most popular client and still considers Staninger to be one of his closest friends to this day. Staninger has even earned himself the nickname “The Stinger” by Rypien. Billy Volek was also once a client of Staninger’s, who left the agency for Drew Rosenhaus. Since leaving, Volek has gone from a rising QB for the Tennessee Titans to a shadow in the San Diego Chargers organization.

Recently, Ken Staninger made a visit to my hometown of Miami, Fl. Staninger would not normally make the trip down to the Super Bowl (even with free tickets), but with one of his clients playing in the game (Jake Scott – Colts OG), he decided to attend the event. He’s quoted as saying:

“I don’t go for the party…I’m not that kind of agent.” [Gridiron Guru]

He’s also not the kind of agent to take on more of a client load than he can handle. He claims that he will not go over 23 clients at any given time. Staninger truly understands the importance of maintaining the personal relationships with his clients that matter so very much. At the same time; however, Staninger has the energy to run a real-estate business along with his Sports Agent work.

Staninger has had one employee in his 30 years of owning his own sports agency, but may finally be ready to add another. He has also never offered any internship opportunities. He has also had offers to merge his agency with others, and has turned down those requests, as well.

To most of the country, Staninger is probably unknown, but in Montana, Staninger is most likely a legend.

-Darren Heitner

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

One reply on “Agent Spotlight: Ken Staninger”

I played high school football with Ken at Sentinel HS in Missoula starting in 1963 as a sophomore, and ending in the fall of 1966 as a senior. Ken lead us to the Co-State Championship with Great Falls that year in freezing weather. I was a defensive back most of the time, so I did not catch many passes from Ken, but I well remember Ken’s leadership on the team. He was a good guy back then, and I suppose he still is. I look forward to seeing him at our 40th HS reunion in July 2007. Martin Thrasher Colorado Springs, CO

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