As the president and CEO of North Texas-based Southwest Sports Partners, LLC, Tom Burnett leverages his extensive background to provide consulting services and expertise to sports organizations and communities.
FRISCO, Texas -- With over three decades of experience in collegiate athletics administration, Tom Burnett has established himself as a seasoned leader in the industry. As the president and CEO of North Texas-based Southwest Sports Partners, LLC, Burnett leverages his extensive background to provide consulting services and expertise to sports organizations and communities.
In 2023, Burnett further expanded his reach by founding Lone Star NIL, a unique initiative focused on providing educational services and opportunities for Texas-based student-athletes navigating the new era of name, image, and likeness (NIL). This innovative program connects these high-achieving athletes with the robust business community across the state, creating mutually beneficial partnerships.
Burnett's impressive career includes a long tenure as the commissioner of the Frisco-based Southland Conference, where he served from 2003 to 2022. During this time, he became the longest-serving leader in the NCAA Division I league's six-decade history, with a focus on the academic and competitive success of student-athletes. Under his leadership, the Southland Conference experienced exponential growth in television coverage, including the negotiation of the league's first multi-million-dollar broadcast contract. Burnett, a native of Houston, now calls McKinney home.
Let's learn more about Burnett's passion for athletics and more in this week's Community Spotlight from Star Local Media.
After years working as the commissioner of the Southland Conference from 2003-2022, and now serving as chief executive of Southwest Sports Partners, your love of sports is evident. What led you to dedicate your career to athletics?
I’ve always had an interest and passion for athletics as a participant and fan from an early age. How that developed into a vocation and a career path was truly happenstance as I stumbled into a student assistant role in the sports information office at Louisiana Tech way back in the summer of 1985. Through many and numerous steps, that led me to a number of positions in college sports communications (and other expanding responsibilities) in two conference offices before I was privileged to become the Southland Conference’s commissioner in early 2003. I’ve repeatedly benefitted from having terrific mentorships and other friendships throughout my career that I greatly value.
During your time as commissioner of the Southland Conference, what accomplishments are you most proud of in those nearly 20 years holding that position?
Too many proud moments to list in full here, but very gratified of how our staff and conference members moved the needle and advanced the league during that time. Collectively, we put the Southland in a very different and better place academically and competitively, grew our meager television coverage into our first multi-million-dollar broadcast agreement, developed robust student-athletes services and programming, and creatively addressed issues and brought innovative solutions into our game officiating services. Bringing the NCAA FCS Championship game to Frisco in 2011 and working with our local colleagues remains high on the list of accomplishments, and I was fortunate to have represented the Southland on 10 NCAA committees, including serving as chair of the Division I men’s basketball committee that oversees March Madness and the Final Four.
What was the genesis of the launch of Southwest Sports Partners, and what services do you provide?
Like I had done throughout my administrative career in athletics, I simply was trying to find a way to assist others with sports-related issues that I was familiar with. While a few conference commissioners have found their way into consulting roles, few formed their own firms and agencies. And the fertile opportunity in Frisco and North Texas was so appealing as an obvious place to start this type of business, and it has proven to be a terrific and very fulfilling opportunity. Our group works with our friends and colleagues on various executive projects on college campuses. We’ve assisted local communities with sports tourism and events, helped others with advice regarding internal and external issues in athletics, and have more recently entered the name, image and likeness educational space with our innovative Lone Star NIL efforts.
As someone who works in athletics and has a love of sports, how fortunate are we to live in North Texas with such a vibrant amateur, collegiate, and professional sports scene? What has it been like to see the growth of sports boom here in North Texas?
There’s simply nothing else across the country that rivals the expansive athletic scene in North Texas, and you can quickly run out of superlatives to fully describe it. Having a front row seat to witness much of this sports-driven growth over the past couple of decades has been amazing. To date myself, although this wasn’t that long ago, I can still recall a few fledgling bedroom communities in our area with unfinished freeways that have developed into corporate centers and destination locations. I quickly tip my hat to current and previous leaders in Frisco, other surrounding communities and their private partners that had the foresight to see the value of sports and other entertainment opportunities as quality-of-life and larger economic drivers.
What led to the launch of Lone Star NIL (name, image and likeness) — the nation’s first NIL program with a select statewide focus here in Texas?
Part of my early Southwest Sports Partners work was frequented with constant questioning about collegiate name, image and likeness and how and if I was planning to work with it. Honestly, that was not part of my original consulting idea, but I also quickly realized that this is something that people might need help with, specifically providing better education about what NIL is and isn’t.
What have been some of the accomplishments or highlights for Lone Star NIL since its launch?
We were very pleased to work with a successful group of mostly North Texas-based student-athletes during the past academic year, including our champion golfers from Frisco, Davis Ovard (Baylor) and Jordan Karrh (DBU). All told, we managed about a dozen financial agreements in our first run, and we were so gratified to select such a high-achieving group of college athletes. We are still assessing our future in managing NIL transactional activity, but we have identified a greater need in providing a broader educational effort to instruct young people and those around them about name, image and likeness in college sports. That educational opportunity is still sorely missing as we begin the fourth year of NIL activity.
Many people believe NIL opportunities are only for student athletes in major sports at top universities. But, looking at the roster for Lone Star NIL, there are student athletes from not only NCAA Division I, but also D-2 and other collegiate programs. Can you talk about how NIL is for all student athletes and the benefits of that?
There’s definitely been more NIL activity in the prominent Division I sports, especially football and men’s basketball, and there’s always been more “sizzle” with those sports than others. That won’t change any time soon, but it’s correct to be thinking about NIL opportunities beyond these sports, including more for female student-athletes and those in other divisions. We have 116 universities and colleges in Texas that sponsor athletics, and most of those are not in NCAA Division I. While challenging, and you might have to dig harder and deeper, there is great potential for NIL endorsement deals with athletes at all schools across the state. Overall, all these young athletes could likely be our future Texas leaders in business, education, government and community positions. There’s great commercial opportunities to connect now with these high achievers ahead of their lifelong success.
OK, fun question, name your top 3 favorite sports teams and why?
Houston Astros: As a long-suffering native Houstonian sports fan and watching a lot of mediocre baseball as a youngster in the Astrodome, I have thoroughly enjoyed the last decade of Astros baseball.
The “Luv Ya Blue”-era Houston Oilers: Again, a hurting fan found his remedy in the Bum Phillips-led Oilers giving the ball to Earl Campbell!
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: Gotta go with the alma mater here! Lots of great sports memories in Ruston as a student and the beginning of my professional career there.
And, how about your Mount Rushmore of favorite athletes and why?
Ted Williams: In addition to being the greatest hitter ever, he was a war hero, outdoorsman and someone you just want to hang out with.
Nolan Ryan: Because we’re both from Texas, and he made Robin Ventura famous (if you know, you know).
Earl Campbell: Another Texas sports hero. There was no one like the Tyler Rose.
John Wooden: More as a tremendous coach than athlete (and he was a great player) due to his obvious championship pedigree and the leadership structure he built for success that transcends basketball.
Last question, what do you want your legacy to be?
I’ve still got a ways to go yet! But simply put, I hope to leave everything better than I found it and the people I’ve met, befriended, and loved better for it.
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