A 1994 SHOULDER INJURY ended Darek Braunecker's playing days as a major-league baseball pitcher. That didn't stop him from staying connected with the game he loves--as a sports agent.
His firm, Braunecker Sports Counsel of Little Rock, is touted as having the largest roster of professional athletes from Arkansas. More than half of the 25 players under contract with him are from the state.
Some of his better-known Arkansas clients include A.J. Burnett of North Little Rock, right-handed pitcher with the Florida Marlins; Cliff Lee of Benton, left-handed pitcher with the Cleveland Indians; Dan Wright of Batesville, right-handed pitcher with the Chicago Cubs; and Dustin Moseley of Texarkana, right-handed pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds.
Braunecker is in the midst of teaming up with two other sports agents, Jim Lindell of Seattle and Mark Rodgers of Palm City, Fla. The trio is contemplating Frontline Sports Management as a corporate name for the partnership, which informally began about 16 months ago.
The combined stable of talent represented by Lindell, Rodgers and Braunecker numbers about 60. The three held more than $18 million worth of negotiated contracts during 2003, $6.5 million of which were Braunecker's.
Three of the big-name players represented by Lindell or Rodgers are Mike Hampton, left-handed pitcher with the Atlanta Braves; Adam Eaton, right-handed pitcher with the San Diego Padres; and Scott Proctor, right-handed pitcher with the New York Yankees.
Other Braunecker clients include Jason Davis, right-handed pitcher with the Cleveland Indians; Chad Harville, right-handed pitcher with the Houston Astros; and Scott Dohmann, right-handed pitcher with the Colorado Rockies.
Braunecker, who works exclusively with pro baseball players, got his start representing athletes with Stephens Sports Management Inc.
'I am very grateful to Warren Stephens,' the 34-year-old businessman said. 'I wouldn't be in the business if it wasn't for him.'
Braunecker got into sports management in the pre-Jerry 'Show Me The Money' MaGuire era.
He joined Stephens Sports Management in 1996 to develop the baseball side of the firm's business. When Stephens Inc. exited the sports management business in February 2000, Braunecker decided to make a go of it on his own.
Braunecker typically collects a fee based on 5 percent of his client's gross salary for negotiating contracts. There can be additional rewards for negotiating signing bonuses and incentive bonuses for the players as well.
'My clients felt good about staying with me when I went out on my own,' Braunecker said. 'I could've joined a bigger firm if things didn't work out, but failure really wasn't an option at that point.'
He is in the process of moving into his new Little Rock office at 1123 W. Third St. His career path to Arkansas began as a star high school pitcher in Effingham, Ill.
Braunecker was drafted by the Kansas City Royals out of high school in 1987 but opted to play junior college ball at Vincennes University in Indiana.
Recruited by Gary Hogan, the right-hander transferred in 1989 to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he was converted to a relief pitcher.
In 1991, Braunecker signed with the Montreal Expos and was moved back to a starting pitcher. His stint in the major leagues ended with a shoulder injury after joining the Cleveland Indians in 1994.
He returned to finish his bachelor's degree in psychology at UALR and worked as a pitching coach for the Trojans 1994-95.
Braunecker returned home to Effingham to work with his dad's auto dealership. He had started a cellular phone company when the call from Stephens came.
'Now, I get lots of calls from people interested in getting into sports management,' Braunecker said. 'There's no coursework or preparation work to get into this business. I'll probably start doing an internship program.'
