Doug Logan
Douglas G. Logan has been a leader in the sports and entertainment industries, best known for his role as the first commissioner of the fledgling Major League Soccer in the late 1990s, and as CEO of USA Track & Field from 2009-2010.
Doug Logan | |
|---|---|
| 1st Commissioner of Major League Soccer | |
| In office January 21, 1995 – August 3, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | First |
| Succeeded by | Don Garber |
Early life
Logan was born in Cuba, moved as a child to the United States, and raised in a bilingual, multicultural family, Logan spoke Spanish as his first language. He fought with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, where he was decorated with two Bronze Stars. Logan drove a taxicab in New York City for three years and began his career in the entertainment business as a beer vendor in Yankee Stadium while attending Manhattan College.
Previously employed in his family’s business field of heavy construction and geotechnical engineering, Logan moved to the sports and entertainment industry when he re-evaluated his career goals in the late 1970s. Moving forward, he was determined “to earn a living from those things that I was most passionate about — music and sports.”
Sports leadership
Logan was the promoter of the first commercial Arena Football League game in April 1985.
Logan was named the first commissioner of Major League Soccer, serving in that capacity from the inauguration of the league in 1995 to 1999. He led the league through its first season, averaging over 17,000 fans per match. Sports Business Daily named Logan and the MLS staff Sports Industrialists of the Year for 1996. During Logan's last year at MLS, the league lost $34 million.[1] MLS was reported to have lost $250 million in its first five years under Logan.[2] Logan is also a former Vice President of the US Soccer Federation.
Logan formed Empresario, LLC in 1999, a sports consulting and entrepreneurial firm serving diverse clients in North America, Central America, South America and Spain. In 2001, he was brought in as a consultant in the creation of a professional National Rugby League, much in the same vein as MLS, structuring the new league as a "single entity" system.
Logan was the CEO of USA Track & Field, the national governing body for track and field, long distance running and race walking from 2008 to 2010. As CEO, Logan led the USATF paid staff, and worked with USATF's elected President to promote the sport. Logan raised $10 million in sponsorships, but was criticized for not being more successful in fundraising and for fractured relationships within the sport. On September 13, 2010, the USATF Board announced it had terminated Logan. Logan sued USATF over the termination. The case is currently in settlement talks.
Entertainment and other business ventures
Logan was General Manager of the Rockford MetroCentre from 1979 to 1985. He was Senior Vice President of Ogden Entertainment Services from 1985 to 1993. From 1993 until 1995 Logan served as Director General of OCESA SA, the largest concert promotion company in Mexico.
Logan serves as Chairman and CEO of Face_iT Technologies, Inc., a company devoted to exploiting innovative facial animation technologies for the film and gaming industries.
He was a founder, regent and lecturer at the Public Assembly Facility Management School (PAFMS) in Oglebay, West Virginia. He is a former District Vice President of the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM). In July, 2008, the IAAM honored Logan with its Presidential Citation, which recognizes the extraordinary contributions of individuals who have brought great distinction to that industry.[3]
Miscellaneous
A lifelong competitive road runner at distances from 10 km to the marathon, Logan has clocked a marathon personal best under 4 hours.[3]
Logan currently lives in Sarasota, FL where he enjoys long hikes.
References
- See Don Garber
- Eligon, John (November 11, 2005). "For M.L.S., the Sport's Future Is in the Eye of the Beholder". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- USATF press release Retrieved 2008-11-17.