I am slightly jealous of future University of Massachusetts at Amherst students who are interested in the business of sports, because at they will have the archives of Mark H. McCormack at their fingertips. Eventually, all of us may be able to access McCormack’s archives, as the school gradually digitizes his collection, but for the immediate future, you will have to take a trip to Amherst to sift through his records. As an added bonus, UMass Amherst will also be the recipient of a $1.5 million donation from McCormack’s family, for sports related research and to bring sports professionals to the school to provide great insight to the institution’s students.
Mark McCormack is the founder of International Management Group, better known as IMG. While IMG has become very well known for its expansive event management division, collegiate licensing division, and broadcast division, it was the pioneer amongst companies branded as “sports agencies.” Many of the best agents got their start at IMG, and some of the best still remain at the company today. However, IMG has shifted from having an expansive team sports division to only focusing on representing individual sport athletes when it comes to athlete representation.
McCormack passed away in 2003 at the age of 72-years-old. His son, Todd McCormack said that a major reason he chose UMass Amherst for the donation of his father’s archives is because the school’s faculty is the most experienced in the United States. That is quite a compliment from the Senior Corporate Vice President of IMG.
