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Pat Croce made history as the first individual to rise from the training room to the boardroom of a professional sports team, landing on the cover of Success magazine. His extraordinary journey from a physical therapist and trailblazer in sports medicine to the vibrant leader who revived the Philadelphia 76ers into NBA championship contenders is hailed as one of the most remarkable tales in sports history.
Leveraging his business acumen, magnetic personality, and focus on customer service, Croce built Sports Physical Therapists into a sports medicine powerhouse with 40 centers across 11 states, earning a top-ten finalist spot for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. After selling his company, Croce channeled his entrepreneurial drive and unyielding optimism into acquiring the NBA's last-place team, the Philadelphia 76ers, in 1996. Over five years as President, he transformed the team from the bottom to the top of the NBA standings, setting franchise records in attendance, revenue, merchandise sales, and consecutive wins, culminating in an NBA Finals appearance against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001.
Following his sports career, Croce ventured into television as an energetic commentator for NBA on NBC, a Tae Kwon Do analyst at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece (he holds a 4th degree Black Belt), and hosted the nationally syndicated daily show Pat Croce: Moving In for Sony Pictures Television that same year. More recently, he served as a panel judge on ABC’s popular show American Inventor.
Croce remains in high demand as a motivational speaker nationwide and is the author of the New York Times bestseller I Feel Great and You Will Too!, the inspirational book 110%, and the business guide Lead or Get Off the Pot! He has also written two books inspired by his love of pirates: Pirate Soul: A Swashbuckling Journey through the Golden Age of Pirates, and the children’s picture book My Pop-Pop is a Pirate.
Honored as "Entrepreneur of the Year" and featured on the cover of Inc. magazine as "The Dale Carnegie of the 21st Century," Croce continues to flourish as a serial entrepreneur. He holds controlling interests in the Pirate Soul Museum and the Rum Barrel restaurant and bar in Key West, alongside various angel investments in fitness, healthcare, spirits, technology, retail, real estate, and entertainment. Above all, he dedicates significant energy to numerous community initiatives.
