Homeward Bound: Tom George To Rejoin Octagon

By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large, The Sports Business Daily

Longtime sports marketer TOM GEORGE is returning to his roots at Octagon. He will rejoin the sports marketing agency in mid-February as a senior exec in athlete marketing under Octagon Worldwide President of Athletes & Personalities PHIL DE PICCIOTTO with a yet-to-be determined title. De Picciotto said of George, “There are a lot that try, but few that excel in the marketing of athletes, so we're happy to have him back.” George rejoins the agency for which he worked from ‘83-‘01, when it was known as Advantage International (later Octagon) and where he orchestrated marketing campaigns for athletes such as GRANT HILL, DAVID ROBINSON, ANNA KOURNIKOVA and MICHAEL CHANG. George left Octagon in late ‘01 for a 20-month stint as AD at American Univ. He has worked for Raleigh, North Carolina-based OnSport since October ‘03, as the sponsorship consultancy experimented with athlete marketing, before deciding to stick with its core business. George: "This has the right feel. I'll be empowered by the properties I'll be representing [which will include JEANETTE LEE, BILL COWHER and STEVE YZERMAN], and obviously it's a place and a space I'm comfortable with” (THE DAILY).