Executive Transactions

Golfsmith Int’l named The Sports Authority Chair Emeritus MARTIN HANAKA Chair, replacing CHARLES SHAW, who will retire from the BOD after serving as Chair since ’02 (Golfsmith).

TALKIN’ FOOTBALL: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL’s Daniel Kaplan reports NFL Exec VP/Labor Relations HAROLD HENDERSON is “moving aside” as head of the NFL Management Council and “will leave the league in two years.” Labor negotiations will now fall under NFL Exec VP & CAO JEFF PASH and Outside Counsel GREGG LEVY. Henderson “will be focusing on player development in the coming two years” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/2 issue)....Browns Dir of Stadium Development & Event Operations REID SIGMON has been named Exec Dir of the ’09 Super Bowl in Tampa Bay. Sigmon previously served as Assistant Dir of the Tampa Bay Final Four Organizing Committee in ’98 and as Dir of Operations for Tampa’s Super Bowl XXXV Task Force. He also served as VP/Operations for the Jacksonville Super Bowl XXXIX Host Committee (BIZJOURNALS.com, 3/30).

EXECS: MLBAM Senior VP/Corporate Communications JIM GALLAGHER will be leaving the organization next month for a similar role with IMG (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal)....Former WWE and NHL exec KEN GELMAN has launched G-Funk Sports & Entertainment, a full-service agency centering on marketing services, partnership alliances and content management. Initial clients include Rainbow Media, the AFL and pro wrestling federation Ring Of Honor (THE DAILY)....Learfield Sports named BRAD HARRISON GM of Aggie Sports Properties at Utah State Univ. and MICHAEL SYDLOWSKI GM of Rockets Sports Properties at the Univ. of Toledo. Both were previously with Palace Sports & Entertainment (Learfield Sports)....Rockets GM CARROLL DAWSON, who will step down following the season, has reached a three-year contract to remain with the team as a Senior Adviser. DARYL MOREY will succeed Dawson as GM (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/31).

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