Harvey Schiller

Early life

A native of the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, Schiller attended Erasmus Hall High School and The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and played football; one of his assistant coaches was Al Davis. Commissioned into the United States Air Force, he attended pilot training and flew more than a thousand sorties on the C-123 Provider in South Vietnam winning the Distinguished Flying Cross. After earning master's and doctoral degrees in chemistry from the University of Michigan, he spent most of his military career as a permanent professor and head of the chemistry department at the United States Air Force Academy, eventually retiring as a brigadier general.

Career

Schiller's sports management career began in 1986 when he was appointed commissioner for the Southeastern Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. In 1988, he was appointed executive director of the United States Olympic Committee, but resigned after less than three weeks on the job. He returned to the USOC in 1990 and oversaw a restructuring of the organization that led to increased support for athletes and introduction of drug testing; he instituted cash awards for medal winners, oversaw a major renovation of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and added new corporate sponsorships. He was also instrumental in landing the 1996 Summer Olympics for Atlanta and the 2002 Winter Olympics for Salt Lake City.

In 1994, business mogul Ted Turner tapped Schiller to become the first president of Turner Sports, a fledgling TV sports operation that produces game telecasts for Turner Network Television and TBS; he oversaw expansion that included the creation of Turner South. As the executive in charge of World Championship Wrestling he was the supervisor of Eric Bischoff, then-president of WCW; in a famous appearance on the wrestling show WCW Monday Nitro he suspended Bischoff from WCW on March 3, 1997.

In 1999, George Steinbrenner selected Schiller to become CEO of YankeeNets, a conglomerate that owned the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. He was instrumental in creating the YES Network (Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network), a regional cable and sports channel that currently broadcasts games for the Yankees, Brooklyn Nets and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. From 2007 to 2009 he served as president of the International Baseball Federation, who also lobbied for inclusion of the sport in the Olympic Games. During his tenure a controversial rule about how extra innings are played was adopted, it became known as the "Schiller Rule". He served on the executive committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and was also appointed to the board of directors of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the World Baseball Classic. In 2011, he was elected to The New York Athletic Club Hall of Fame.

Schiller was chairman of the unsuccessful bid by New York City to host the 2012 Olympics, and was also appointed to the Women and Sports Commission of the International Olympic Committee. In 2010, he was named to the America's Cup Advisory Board and in 2014 appointed first commercial commissioner; a position responsible for managing, marketing and site selection of the 2017 races held in Bermuda. From 2014 to 2018, Schiller was board of directors president for USA Team Handball.

Schiller has been chairman of Assante, USA, which provides life and financial management products, and in 2005 he started the GlobalOptions Group, an international risk management and business solutions company. He has been chairman of Collegiate Sports Management Group and vice chairman for digital media, entertainment and sports practice of Diversified Search and has been on the board of directors of Mesa Air Group, Walker Innovation, Sportsgrid, and Craft 1861.

He is chairman of USAF Academy Athletic Corporation and was appointed an honorary member of The Academy Association of Graduates. Schiller is also senior advisor to SailGP.

Schiller is chairman of Schiller Management Group, a consulting company. He is a member of the Presidential Commission on White House Scholars. Schiller is CEO of Goal Acquisitions, a special acquisitions company and chairman of the National Medal of Honor Center for Leadership.

Recognition

Schiller has been awarded honorary doctorates from The Citadel (Two Doctorates), Northern Michigan University and the United States Sports Academy. He is a member of The Citadel Athletic, Science, and Business Halls of Fame and was awarded The Citadel's Palmetto Medal Award. Schiller was a recipient of the Ellis Island Award in 1990. In 1994, he was awarded the Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee. In 2013, he was honored as one of the "Pioneers and Innovators in Sports Business" by Sports Business Journal.

Philanthropy

Schiller and his wife Marcia have established the Harvey and Marcia Schiller Surgical Innovation Center at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. The center is a dedicated center to improve patient outcomes and healthcare efficiencies through surgical innovation. Schiller is also a donor with his alma mater The Citadel.

Military awards and honors

References

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References

1. "The Citadel Alumni Association".
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4. Ramsey, David. (July 3, 2018). "David Ramsey: The day a proud Vietnam War combat pilot met Jane Fonda". The Gazette.
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6. (January 27, 1988). "Officially gone". The Times-News.
7. Bishop, Greg. (19 April 2009). "In Need of Rescue, International Baseball Turns to Harvey Schiller". New York Times.
8. Academy, US Sports. "Olympic Leader and Sport Entrepreneur Earns an Honorary Doctorate from the Academy – United States Sports Academy".
9. "Brigadier General Harvey W. Schiller, Board of Directors". blinktbi.
10. Bloom, Barry M.. (2007-03-02). "Schiller named new IBAF president".
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12. "Hall of Fame - New York Athletic Club".
13. Hersh, Philip. (2011-04-01). "Globetrotting: U.S. Olympic Committee no longer April fools".
14. (March 19, 2015). "Harvey Schiller: The challenges and frustrations of selling the America's Cup".
15. "America's Cup- 'The Doc' appointed as Commercial Commissioner".
16. "Board President Dr. Harvey Schiller Bids Farewell".
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31. Watson, Zach. (2021-09-22). "Harvey and Marcia Schiller donate $1M for surgical innovation".
32. Barry M. Bloom (2 March 2007). [http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070301&content_id=1821011&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb Schiller named new IBAF president]. MLB.com. Accessed September 2013.
33. David Cushnan (21 August 2013). [http://www.sportspromedia.com/notes_and_insights/tragedy_politics_controversy_and_farce_now_can_the_americas_cup_get_back_on/ Tragedy, politics, controversy and farce - now can the America’s Cup get back on course?]. SportsPro. Accessed September 2013.
34. "Eric Bischoff Suspended by Dr. Harvey Schiller".
35. (20 December 2013). "USA Team Handball Names Dr. Harvey W. Schiller President". USA Team Handball.
36. (August 28, 2014). "Schiller hired as Cup's commercial commissioner". AP Worldstream.
37. [The Citadel] (5 May 2012). [http://www.citadel.edu/root/commencement_honorarydegrees_corps2012 Honorary Degrees awarded at Corps of Cadets commencement]. The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. Accessed October 2014.
38. [http://www.asama.org/awards-of-sport/honorary-doctorates/ Honorary Doctorates: Awards of Sport]. United States Sports Academy: American Sport Art Museum and Archives. Accessed October 2014.