George Pyne is a global business executive and founder of Bruin Sports Capital, where he serves as CEO. Pyne is also Non-Executive Chairman of Courtside Ventures which specializes in early stage sports, media and technology investments. Previously, Pyne was the President of IMG Sports and Entertainment and a Board Member. Prior to IMG, he was Chief Operating Officer and on the Board of NASCAR.
Early life and education
Pyne grew up in Milford, Massachusetts and after graduating Choate Rosemary Hall, attended Brown University where he played football for the Brown Bears and majored in Political Science. While at Brown, he earned All-Ivy League and All-New England honors and served as the team's captain.
Early career
After graduating from Brown, Pyne worked for his family's real estate company in New England, before moving to Atlanta, Georgia to work with the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. As a part of this work Pyne analyzed the fiscal operations and budget of the Atlanta Public School system and issued a 250-page report which led to school reforms. One of the local business leaders that worked with Pyne on the school report was the president of the Portman Cos, who subsequently hired Pyne to work for the commercial real estate and trade show company. There Pyne led the team that oversaw a $2 billion debt restructuring. He also turned commercial space owned by Portman into a corporate hospitality environment for the 1994 Super Bowl XXVIII. Following the event, he created AMC Events to manage and market sports related properties, with Pyne being executive director of the division. One of his early clients for AMC Events was NASCAR, whom he would later join.
NASCAR
In 1995, he joined NASCAR as head of new business development for NASCAR. He later became Chief Operating Officer and the second non-family member in 50 years to join its Board of Directors. At NASCAR he negotiated a $4.5 billion television rights deal in 2005, the $750 million sponsorship of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2004, investments by 100 of the Fortune 500 companies, and the creation of a $2 billion licensing business.
IMG
Pyne began working with IMG in 2006, as President of Sports and Entertainment and Board Member. There he oversaw client management, college sports, consulting, IMG Performance, licensing and U.S. business development. IMG grew from its $750 million purchase price in 2004 to its $2.4 billion sale to William Morris Endeavor in 2014. Pyne left IMG in 2014.
Bruin Sports Capital
In January 2015 Pyne founded Bruin Sports Capital with a $250 million investment that came from Dan Gilbert, WPP, and other investors. By 2019 the company had 37 offices with about 1700 employees. It owns Deltatre, Engine Shop, Soulsight, OverTier and is lead investor in On Location Experiences. Courtside has made 35 investments in start-ups as of that year. As a part of his work with Bruin, Pyne has appeared as a commentator on CNBC.
Recognition
Pyne is a member of both the National Football Foundation's Leadership Hall of Fame as well as the Sports Business Journal's Hall of Fame. Pyne was a recipient of the 2014 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. In 2015 he was honored by the Ivy League Football Association for lifetime achievement. Pyne currently serves on the board of the National Football Foundation and the National Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of New York.
Personal life
Pyne comes from a family of athletes who have played in the National Football League. His father, George Pyne III, played for the Boston Patriots of the American Football League in 1965. His grandfather, George Pyne II, played for the Providence Steam Roller of the NFL in 1931. His brother, Jim Pyne, also played in the NFL from 1994 to 2001, making the Pynes the first family to play three generations of professional football. Additionally, Pyne's father-in-law, Paul Harney, was an American professional golfer who won six PGA Tour events, finished in the top eight at the Masters four times and was inducted into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame.
