In the 1980's and early 1990s Chicago based attorney/sports agent Steve Zucker was one of the biggest names in the sports management industry. Among his clients were two of the most talented, controversial and outlandish figures in the NFL- Deion Sanders and Jim McMahon. Zucker, who had never intended to get into the Sports Management field, started his agent career representing Jim McMahon. McMahon had been represented by dentist/agent (yes, we said dentist) Jerry Argovitz; however Argovitz became involved as an owner of the USFL's Houston Gamblers and this conflict kept him from continuing to represent McMahon*. Argovitz and Zucker had been friends from college. Through this friendship Zucker became McMahon's agent. By 1985, the Chicago Bears Super Bowl year, the punky QB had enabled Zucker to build a sports management company around him.

Jim McMahon in 1986 Superbowl

In Chicago, legendary gossip columnist Irv Kupcinet's (a former NFL player himself) daily column became a Zucker public relations conduit. Hardly a day went by without Zucker's name being prominently mentioned in Kup's Column.

In the late 1980’s, three incidents stand out to demonstrate an almost Forest Gump-like period for Steve Zucker:

1. Norby Walters was an agent with Mafia ties that signed many of the premier draft eligible players before the 1987 NFL draft. When Zucker became involved with one of Walter's player that had left him, one of Zucker's associates was threatened and beaten up in Zucker's Chicago land office. Interestingly enough, the person beaten up was the wife of former Notre Dame quarterback Tom Clements.

2. The 1989 NFL draft became the "Prime Time show". Deion Sanders stole the show when he was featured at Steve Zucker's house during the NFL draft. Zucker, who initially represented Sanders, garnered great publicity from the talented and camera-loving Sanders.

3. Challenging the NFL drug testing program in the late 1980's through his representation of Richard Dent for his suspension in 1988, Zucker was involved in the court proceeding that changed NFL drug testing policy.

Zucker would go on to build a sports management empire with players in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Among this group was baseball star Kenny Lofton and former Boston Celtics Dee Brown.

But along with the rise, there also came a fall. The following link describes a matter that virtually put an end to Zucker's representation of NFL players.
http://www.sportslaw.org/conferences/2009docs
/NFLPA_v_ZuckerSteve.pdf

Where is he today? Steve Zucker is now a father looking out for his son, as his son tries to build a baseball representation business in Chicago.
 Steve Zucker is listed as the Chairman of the Board of Zucker Sports Mangement Group.  www.zuckersports.com