| Pat Croce graced the cover of Success magazine as the first person to ascend from the training room to the boardroom of a professional sports team. It has been defined as one of the most amazing stories in sports history. His remarkable success as a physical therapist and pioneer the sports medicine field to the colorful leader responsible for the resurrection of the Philadelphia 76ers as a NBA championship contender is more astounding. Through his business savvy, dynamic personality, and emphasis on customer service, Croce created Sports Physical Therapists, a sports medicine empire of 40 centers in 11 states, into atop-ten finalist for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Following the sale of his company, Croce focused his entrepreneurial spirit and indestructible positive attitude to the purchase of the NBA’s last place team, the 76ers in 1996. During his 5-year tenure as President, the tam rose from worse to first in the NBA standings and broke franchise attendance, revenue, merchandise and consecutive win records. In addition to being the recipient of the “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award and the Sales and Marketing Management magazine’s “Best Motivator” Award, (’01), Croce received A&EBiography’s “Community Hero” Award (’02) and was recently featured on the cover of Inc Magazine as “The dale Carnegie of the 21st. Century. |
| When the Philadelphia 76ers named Pat Croce team president on March 19, 1996, they were looking for a fresh start, and a new direction. What they found was a proven winner. Through a great deal of hard work and an infectious attitude, Pat has restored Sixers pride and brought excitement back to the franchise. No longer is success a distant dream, but it is an expectation. Pat, part owner of the team, has a history of setting high goals and systematically accomplishing them. He has built the Sixers based on his fierce determination and drive to be the best. This, together with his work ethic and fan-friendly demeanor, has catapulted his popularity to unprecedented heights. His greatest accomplishment, however, might be the fact that he has restored Sixers pride in Philadelphia. For the first time in eight years, the 76ers earned a berth in the NBA Playoffs last season, taking the city by storm. Under Pat's leadership, the team advanced to the second round of the playoffs before electrifying, raucous crowds at the First Union Center. The Sixers have attendance records each of the last three seasons. In fact, since his arrival, the franchise has enjoyed a 46 percent attendance increase - tops in the NBA! Today, Pat works closely with his current “stars,” Head Coach and Vice President of Basketball Operations Larry Brown, and General Manager Billy King. In May of 1997, he hired Brown as the 17th coach in Philadelphia franchise history. Shortly after, King was added to the staff. Together they have helped reshape the franchise through the acquisition of key free agents and quality draft picks. Pat, a 1977 cum laude graduate from the University of Pittsburgh, is extremely active in the community. His list of community involvement is as impressive as his athletic and business accomplishments. Pat is the driving force in the Sixers Slam Dunk Diabetes Family Festival, which benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and has participated in the JDF Walk to Cure Diabetes in each of its 13 years. He also serves as the honorary chairman of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and is a member of the board of directors of the Police Athletic League. Additionally, he has founded Castle Dreams, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting individuals in need. |
