Jeff Diamond
Jeff Diamond is a business and sports consultant who does speaking engagements and broadcast/online media work. He is a Minneapolis native who is the former Vice President/General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings, former President/COO of the Tennessee Titans and is a former NFL Executive of the Year (from his 15-1 season as GM of the Vikings in 1998). He also was CEO of The Ingram Group, a lobbying and government relations firm in Nashville.
In his entertaining, informative and motivational speeches, Jeff talks about his successful background and experience from 20-plus years as an NFL exec with the Vikings and Titans and now his consulting work with several interesting clients including an NFL agent group. He had an outstanding NFL management track record with his teams making the playoffs in 10 of his last 12 seasons (including a Super Bowl season with the Titans in 1999 following the 15-1 Vikings season).
Jeff speaks on his story that includes the amazing two year period when he was GM of the dominant 1998 Vikings team that lost a heartbreaking overtime game to Atlanta in the NFC Championship when they blew a 13 point lead. He was named NFL Executive of the Year after that season and his contract was up but rather than having the Vikings' new owner extend his contract, he got caught up in a power struggle with the head coach and wound up moving to the Tennessee Titans as team president. Aided by the momentum generated from a miraculous playoff win called the "Music City Miracle", he helped lead the Titans to the 1999 Super Bowl, their first in team history and his first Super Bowl since his rookie NFL season with the Vikings 22 years earlier.
Jeff speaks about how this two-year run is a great example of the roller coaster world of professional sports (and the ups and downs that have to be navigated through in all businesses) and how hard work, perseverance, good timing and a positive, resilient attitude can lead to great things in business, in a profession and in life as you battle through these ups and downs that everyone faces.
Jeff customizes his speeches for each specific audience. He discusses his philosophies on leadership, team building and motivating employees including players, coaches and staff and focuses on his expertise in Negotiation (from his work negotiating players and coaches contracts, player trades, broadcast and sponsorship agreements, stadium leases and now representing players with his agent group (an interesting comparison since he's worked on both the management and labor sides of the negotiating table). His negotiation experience translates into all businesses including his time as CEO of The Ingram Group where he negotiated as a lobbyist on behalf of his clients with governmental entities and officials.
Jeff's list of consulting clients includes The Institute for Athletes (NFL player agent group), ZeSa Fitness, the National Rugby Football League, Sussner Design/2nd Surface Design, Alliance Sport Marketing, Ryman Hospitality (previously Gaylord Entertainment) and the NHL's Nashville Predators.
Jeff speaks regularly to business, civic and non-profit groups and to college MBA, Law School and undergraduate classes on his career in the NFL and the consulting business and on the subjects of Negotiation, Sports Business, Sports Management, Teamwork/Teambuilding and Leadership.
He also has extensive broadcast media experience including doing a daily radio show on SportsRadio 560 AM/95.9 FM in Nashville, a weekly show on SportsTalk 790 in Houston, NFL Insider work for SB Nation Radio (previously Yahoo Sports Radio) and he writes a weekly NFL column for sportingnews.com and previously for si.com.
Jeff is a University of Minnesota graduate who currently lives in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN.
Jeff Diamond is a business and sports consultant who does speaking engagements and broadcast/online media work. He is a Minneapolis native who is the former Vice President/General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings, former President/COO of the Tennessee Titans and is a former NFL Executive of the Year (from his 15-1 season as GM of the Vikings in 1998). He also was CEO of The Ingram Group, a lobbying and government relations firm in Nashville.
In his entertaining, informative and motivational speeches, Jeff talks about his successful background and experience from 20-plus years as an NFL exec with the Vikings and Titans and now his consulting work with several interesting clients including an NFL agent group. He had an outstanding NFL management track record with his teams making the playoffs in 10 of his last 12 seasons (including a Super Bowl season with the Titans in 1999 following the 15-1 Vikings season).
Jeff speaks on his story that includes the amazing two year period when he was GM of the dominant 1998 Vikings team that lost a heartbreaking overtime game to Atlanta in the NFC Championship when they blew a 13 point lead. He was named NFL Executive of the Year after that season and his contract was up but rather than having the Vikings' new owner extend his contract, he got caught up in a power struggle with the head coach and wound up moving to the Tennessee Titans as team president. Aided by the momentum generated from a miraculous playoff win called the "Music City Miracle", he helped lead the Titans to the 1999 Super Bowl, their first in team history and his first Super Bowl since his rookie NFL season with the Vikings 22 years earlier.
Jeff speaks about how this two-year run is a great example of the roller coaster world of professional sports (and the ups and downs that have to be navigated through in all businesses) and how hard work, perseverance, good timing and a positive, resilient attitude can lead to great things in business, in a profession and in life as you battle through these ups and downs that everyone faces.
Jeff customizes his speeches for each specific audience. He discusses his philosophies on leadership, team building and motivating employees including players, coaches and staff and focuses on his expertise in Negotiation (from his work negotiating players and coaches contracts, player trades, broadcast and sponsorship agreements, stadium leases and now representing players with his agent group (an interesting comparison since he's worked on both the management and labor sides of the negotiating table). His negotiation experience translates into all businesses including his time as CEO of The Ingram Group where he negotiated as a lobbyist on behalf of his clients with governmental entities and officials.
Jeff's list of consulting clients includes The Institute for Athletes (NFL player agent group), ZeSa Fitness, the National Rugby Football League, Sussner Design/2nd Surface Design, Alliance Sport Marketing, Ryman Hospitality (previously Gaylord Entertainment) and the NHL's Nashville Predators.
Jeff speaks regularly to business, civic and non-profit groups and to college MBA, Law School and undergraduate classes on his career in the NFL and the consulting business and on the subjects of Negotiation, Sports Business, Sports Management, Teamwork/Teambuilding and Leadership.
He also has extensive broadcast media experience including doing a daily radio show on SportsRadio 560 AM/95.9 FM in Nashville, a weekly show on SportsTalk 790 in Houston, NFL Insider work for SB Nation Radio (previously Yahoo Sports Radio) and he writes a weekly NFL column for sportingnews.com and previously for si.com.
Jeff is a University of Minnesota graduate who currently lives in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN.
Jeff's Most Requested Programs
Jeff's Most Requested Programs:
Successfully Navigating the Roller Coaster of Sports & Business:
Jeff talks about his successful NFL management career and riding the roller coaster of life in the NFL and all businesses (and how you must have more ups than downs to survive). The trials and tribulations of life as an NFL exec create tremendous pressure to win on the field and do it profitably for the organization's balance sheet. He discusses his amazing two year run...
