The Cal 100: No. 23 -- Leigh Steinberg
We count down the top 100 individuals associated with Cal athletics, based on their impact in sports or in the world at large – a wide-open category. See if you agree.
No. 23: Leigh Steinberg
Cal Sports Connection: Steinberg served as student body president while an undergrad at Cal, graduated in 1970 and earned his law degree from Berkeley in 1973. Two years later, he represented Cal quarterback Steve Bartkowski, the first of eight No. 1 draft picks who have been clients.
Claim to Fame: He revolutionized the sports agent business, was the inspiration for the film Jerry Maguire and has made a comeback from alcoholism that cost him almost everything.
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Leigh Steinberg was one of the great success stories in American sports.
Until he wasn’t.
Steinberg began college at UCLA then transferred to Cal after one year. He served as student body president, graduated in 1970 and earned his law degree from Berkeley in ’73.
Leigh Steinberg in his Newport Beach office.
Two years later— almost by accident — he began his journey as one of the first sports super agents. He went on to transform the industry, negotiating record-setting contracts for his clients while also insisting they give back to causes that matter to them through philanthropy and their time.
Here’s how ESPN The Magazine once described him:
The man had a vision: He'd show clients that image mattered, that they could make even more millions, and have careers after the game -- if they led lives that kids could emulate. And he'd turn agenting from what was a sleazefest into a virtuous pursuit -- cashing fat checks along the way.
He walked the walk, devoting himself to countless charitable causes, many of them in the struggle against racism and inequality, but also the Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network, among others. He endowed a scholarship at his high school and a classroom at Cal’s law school.
He has represented a record-eight No. 1 NFL draft picks, starting with former Cal star Steve Bartkowski, with whom he lived on the same dorm floor (along with Steve Wozniak). Steinberg hadn’t even settled on his career path when Bartkowski asked him to represent him in 1975. He got him signed to a four-year, $600,000 contract — the richest ever at the time for a draft pick — kicking off the professional careers of both men.
Twelve Pro Football Hall of Famers, including Troy Aikman, Thurman Thomas, Steve Young and Bruce Smith, have been his clients.
Steinberg with Patrick Mahomes on draft night.
Steinberg was the inspiration for the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, which was released when Patrick Mahomes was a year old. Three years ago, Steinberg helped Mahomes land a 10-year, $450 million contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs.
For decades, Steinberg pushed all the right buttons for his clients and himself. He was once featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, although he passed on Dancing with the Stars, pleading guilty to having two left feet.
Then, as the 21st century began and Steinberg transitioned into his 50s, things began to fall apart. Many of his clients perceived him as not devoting the same energy and attention to their needs, and his business suffered.
Far worse, alcohol addiction gripped him, leading to three arrests over a span of a decade for DUI or public intoxication. His marriage ended. He filed for bankruptcy. He was involved in litigation with former partners. He even allowed his NFLPA agent license to lapse.
“The wreckage I’ve created,” he told the Orange County Register in 2012.
Steinberg made no excuses for his actions.
“A lot of it is perception, understanding my challenges were self-induced,” he said. “There are reasons but not excuses.”
Steinberg said he has remained sober since 2010. Early in his recovery, he did speaking appearances on campuses across the country and wrote columns for Forbes.
But those were not his priority. “For those early years — ’10, ’11 and ’12 — I just focused on sobriety,” he told The Athletic in 2020.
In 2013, while attending an SMU football practice, he met Scott Irwin, a Texas businessman. They found common ground on topics such as the reality that athletes are role models.
“He’s not Tom Cruise . . . Leigh is not that guy,” Irwin said. “Leigh is a hippie from the ‘60s that has an incredible heart and incredible vision. His IQ is off the charts and he sees things differently.”
Irwin assembled a group of investors, whose faith in him allowed Steinberg to begin the second chapter of his career and his life.
Inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame in 2017, he is now 74 years old and 14 years sober.
“It’s just a great comeback story,” Aikman said. “He talks about it. He hit rock bottom. Lost pretty much everything he had. For him to be where he’s at, however many years . . . sober and resurrect his career, I think that’s the greatest thing he’s done.”
Cover photo of Leigh Steinberg by John David Mercer, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
