Dave Checketts
Encyclopedia
David W. Checketts is an American businessman, founder and chairman SCP Worldwide, sits on the board of JetBlue Airways
, and is the owner of the soccer club Real Salt Lake
.
and later earned a master's degree in business administration from Brigham Young University
. After graduation, he joined the Boston-based consulting firm of Bain & Company
. At 28, he became president and general manager
of the Utah Jazz
, making him the youngest chief executive in National Basketball Association
history. He then spent a year as the general manager of NBA International, where he worked to increase the league's presence around the world.
He became president of the New York Knicks
in March 1991, and in his four seasons as president, the team made it to the Eastern Conference Finals three times and went to the NBA Finals
in 1994
. The team set records for attendance, television ratings
and revenue under his watch but the club failed to win the NBA Finals.
He went on to become president and chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden
, the company that owns the New York Rangers
, New York Knicks, New York Liberty
of the WNBA
and Madison Square Garden and the MSG television network. In 1997, MSG acquired Radio City Music Hall
. From 1998 to 2001, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs four straight seasons despite having one of the highest payrolls in the NHL
.
In September 2001, Checketts founded SCP Worldwide, a consulting and investment service firm for sports teams. In 2002, SCP acquired SportsWest Communications, a syndicated broadcaster of college sports. In July 2004 SCP bought into Major League Soccer
and established a team in Utah
, Real Salt Lake
, which began play in April 2005. On September 29, 2005 it was announced that SCP had officially signed an agreement to purchase the St. Louis Blues.
In 2009, Checketts was in an ownership group along with talk radio host Rush Limbaugh
that was publicly linked to a potential purchase of the St. Louis Rams
of the National Football League
; after numerous NFL players objected to Limbaugh owning an NFL team, Checketts dropped Limbaugh from the group and never made a bid for the team.
Checketts was hired in 2011 to serve as a consultant for new Detroit Pistons
owner Tom Gores
.
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
, and is the owner of the soccer club Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
.
Career
Checketts attended the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and later earned a master's degree in business administration from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. After graduation, he joined the Boston-based consulting firm of Bain & Company
Bain & Company
Bain & Company is a global management consulting firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Bain is considered one of the most prestigious consulting firms in the world, with 47 offices in 30 countries and over 5,500 professionals on staff globally...
. At 28, he became president and general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, making him the youngest chief executive in National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
history. He then spent a year as the general manager of NBA International, where he worked to increase the league's presence around the world.
He became president of the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in March 1991, and in his four seasons as president, the team made it to the Eastern Conference Finals three times and went to the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
in 1994
1994 NBA Finals
The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1993–94 National Basketball Association season, featuring the Western Conference's Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference's New York Knicks....
. The team set records for attendance, television ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and revenue under his watch but the club failed to win the NBA Finals.
He went on to become president and chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, the company that owns the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, New York Knicks, New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
of the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
and Madison Square Garden and the MSG television network. In 1997, MSG acquired Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
. From 1998 to 2001, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs four straight seasons despite having one of the highest payrolls in the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
.
In September 2001, Checketts founded SCP Worldwide, a consulting and investment service firm for sports teams. In 2002, SCP acquired SportsWest Communications, a syndicated broadcaster of college sports. In July 2004 SCP bought into Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
and established a team in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
, which began play in April 2005. On September 29, 2005 it was announced that SCP had officially signed an agreement to purchase the St. Louis Blues.
In 2009, Checketts was in an ownership group along with talk radio host Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
that was publicly linked to a potential purchase of the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
; after numerous NFL players objected to Limbaugh owning an NFL team, Checketts dropped Limbaugh from the group and never made a bid for the team.
Checketts was hired in 2011 to serve as a consultant for new Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
owner Tom Gores
Tom Gores
Tom Gores is an American billionaire with an estimated current net worth of $2.4 billion dollars. He appears on the Forbes list of 2011 World's Billionaires. On June 1, 2011 he became the owner of the Detroit Pistons.-Biography:...
.