MVHS alum ‘87 Doug Hendrickson recalls that his interest in sports management began during his time at MVHS, through the school’s assistant basketball coach Bill Duffy. Duffy was just starting his career in agency at the time, and as Hendrickson got to know Duffy, he learned about the job and met some of Duffy’s clients, exposing him to a new career that he took interest in pursuing.
“I always said to myself, ‘This is a pretty good career and something I’d love to do,’” Hendrickson said. “This was before sports management programs at colleges were a thing, before ‘Jerry Maguire,’ before anybody knew what agents really did. Bill Duffy had a really profound impact and allowed me to see the inner workings of what an agent really was.”
Duffy, who now manages approximately 50 NBA players, including Lakers star Luka Dončić, recalls how he recognized Hendrickson’s dedication early on. Inspired by Duffy’s work as an agent, Hendrickson was interested in the stories Duffy told about his career.
“He and I have very similar personalities,” Duffy said. “He really had the skill set, the personality, the temperament and the work ethic to be what he has become. You have to know moves, you have to be strategic, you have to be able to convince people what’s in their best interest. He has all of those qualities.”
After graduating from MVHS in 1987, Hendrickson attended San Jose State University where he continued to play basketball and baseball at the collegiate level. Initially seeing Hendrickson as a “tall, long-limbed and gangly loose mover,” former SJSU pitching coach Tom Kunis highlights that he had one of the best work ethics out of everyone he’s coached.
“He just came ready with a maturity and discipline that I think a lot of younger players don’t initially quite get,” Kunis said. “The most important piece is his human quality and empathy, caring for the team. Doug was just one of those teammates that attracted himself to other players and coaches because of who he was. When you have an athlete who is driven and willing to work and go above and beyond, it’s very endearing to coaches. That’s why it was an easy relationship to foster and grow with.”
While at SJSU, Hendrickson focused on playing baseball and basketball, as he enjoyed traveling with his teammates and coming together for one common goal: to win. Ironically, Hendrickson mentions that he never took part in internships or sent our resumes to the job market, noting that culture in the ‘80s was to “go to college and figure it out from there.” However, once he was done playing, he got his first big start as an agent fresh out of college.
Hendrickson recalls that his roommate, who played basketball with him at SJSU, told Hendrickson that “he would be a great agent and should come and work with him.” After working with his roommate at the Arizona Cardinals, Hendrickson was on his own for a while and worked at two firms before he joined global sports agency firm Wasserman.
Wasserman is the second largest agency firm in the world, according to Forbes. As the Executive Vice President of Football, he runs the division and represents about 100 athletes and executives in the NFL, overseeing and managing their careers.
“I will take a player into the draft, from high school or college, and once they’re drafted, I will do their contract and I will pretty much oversee their entire life,” Hendrickson said. “An agent in sports really encompasses being a manager, being an agent, being a big brother, being a father, being a friend, being a mental therapist — being a ‘you name it’ is what I do.”
While at Wasserman, Hendrickson was named one of NFL’s 100 most important people in 2017 and one of the 10 most influential people at the 2016 NFL draft. According to an article published by The Score, Hendrickson is best known for his “holistic approach to the industry by recruiting players based on criteria he has stipulated.” Hendrickson dives deeper into what he looks for during recruitment, emphasizing the amount of care he puts into his clients.
“I have a lot of value that I add to my players,” Hendrickson said. “I want players that are going to think 20 or 30 years down the road, that want to get into the business, that want to get into off field endeavors and that want to give back to the community. I want players that are going to push me, but also listen to and want the right advice and counseling to maximize their careers. I want to find out if it’ll be a good fit for me and for the player.”
Managing NFL players — like Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby and Cowboys defensive end Kenny Clark — Hendrickson explains how the goal of his job is to continue attracting great clients, make sure his players are taken care of and that their futures are planned and managed with intention, in terms of retirement and finances. Because of that, Hendrickson is on the phone 24/7 and encourages those that want work in the sports industry to continue to work hard and be resilient.
“Anything in life is a grind, and I always tell young kids that the beautiful thing is that in life, you have two things,” Hendrickson said. “One, you either can work to live, or you live to work. I fortunately live to work. I love what I do. I love my job. If you want to go in a field where everybody wants to get into it, you got to take a lot of no’s, and you got to be OK with a lot of no’s. If you have the mindset that ‘I’m going to work and hustle and get after it,’ you will succeed. Nothing good in life is easy, but meet the right people, network the right way, and if you do that, you’ll be successful.
