Team president and part-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers
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!
Topics
•Achieve the Impossible! The theme of Pat Croce’s high-energy motivational presentation entitled “Achieve the Impossible” is that nothing is impossible when you take action on your passion with a focused determination and an expectation of success. Using equal doses of enthusiasm, passion and humor, Croce’s storytelling touches on his historic rise from the training room to the board room of the Philadelphia 76ers, his remarkable recovery from a devastating motorcycle accident, and his belief in the power of forging relationships from the street to the elite. Sprinkled throughout Croce’s presentation are his “Pat Croce Pointers” which emphasize lessons on everything from the art of listening to the power of a positive attitude. And no one will leave his talk and forget to wipe the “should” off themselves.
•110%: Leaders are made, not born. The secrets for winning leadership are within Pat Croce’s entertaining presentation for all participants to embrace. But they must believe, as Croce does, that just as all people have dormant athletic potential, they also have untapped leadership potential. Using real life experiences, humorous antidotes, and Croce’s “Laws of Leadership,” participants will learn the successful traits and responsibilities of a winning leader. “Pat Croce is the model and mentor for the next generation of sports and business entrepreneurs. He leads... we follow,” said Ted Leonsis, President America Online’s Interactive Properties Group; Owner, Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards.
•Ten Commandments of Customer Service: Due to his business savvy, dynamic personality and emphases on customer service, Pat Croce created Sports Physical Therapists, a sports medicine empire of 40 centers in 11 states, into a top-ten finalist for the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Participants will learn the "Ten Commandments of Customer Service” that made this company so successful. Following the sale of his company, Croce focused his entrepreneurial spirit and indestructible positive attitude to purchase the last place team, the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996. Again, applying his “Ten Commandments of Customer Service” over the next five years, the team broke NBA attendance, revenue, merchandise, and consecutive win records for the franchise, and rose from worst to first. “Pat Croce quite possibly has the people skills in pro sports,” reported ESPN Magazine.