Bert Emanuel ‘94 has recently accepted the position of Director of Business Operations for the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.
Emanuel was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and moved to Texas where he attended Houston’s Langham Creek High School. He later went on to play football at Rice University. After graduation, Emanuel was selected in the second round of the draft and played eight seasons in the NFL. Ironically, Emanuel was Roughnecks' head coach June Jones’ first draft pick in the NFL and their relationship has come full circle as they both are now reunited with the Houston Roughnecks.
With the Roughnecks, Emanuel is in charge of the majority of the organization’s finances, daily operations, gameday operations, and apparel merchandising. He’s also the liaison between the front office and football operations based on his NFL experience. He also assists with player and coach promotional opportunities in an effort to build the organization’s brand.
“There are a lot of moving pieces when starting a new team,” Emanuel said. “It takes more than just drafting players and having coaches. There is a strategic marketing and business component to it as well, and it all has to be well integrated.”
Being raised in Houston, Emanuel understands the way Houstonians think and what they want from their new professional football team. Also, after playing in the NFL, he understands what it takes to be a part of a successful professional football league.
“It’s all about relationships and connections and I think that is very important,” Emanuel said. “A lot of what we do is market-based, so it is important to understand the community. It would be tough for someone from New York, San Francisco, or Michigan, who has no connection with our region, to come in and play an important role. It’s possible but not feasible.”
It is a unique opportunity for anyone in the sport industry, to be involved in the launch of a professional football team.
“It’s a dream job,” Emanuel said. “You don’t get many opportunities to be on the ground floor of creating a league and a sports franchise.”
Garrett Grammer, a junior from Richmond, Texas, is majoring in Sport Management.