Retired MLB Pitcher and Olympic Gold Medalist Jim Abbott to Give Keynote Address at PACnet’18

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 14, 2017 -- Jim Abbott, All-American athlete, gold-medal Olympian, and retired Major League Baseball pitcher, will present the Tuesday afternoon keynote address at Paciolan’s annual PACnet community conference.

Jim Abbott, retired Major League Baseball player and Olympic Gold Medalist, will present the Tuesday afternoon address to the Paciolan community. Born without a right hand, Abbott pitched for the Angels, then played for the Yankees for several years, during which he pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians.

The conference will be held Feb. 11-14, 2018, at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport Beach, California.

His accomplishments are remarkable under ordinary circumstance; however, Abbott’s story is beyond routine. Born without a right hand, Abbott focuses on what’s been given, not what’s been taken away, with his ‘ADAPT’ mentality and attitude.

Though he was drafted into the major leagues in 1985, Abbott decided to instead play for and graduate from University of Michigan, where he led the school to two Big Ten championships. The first baseball player to be recognized with the James E. Sullivan Award as the top U.S. amateur athlete, Abbott also won a gold medal representing the United States during the 1988 Summer Olympics.

“Growing up a little bit different, I learned that challenge is a constant,” Abbott said. “Through my experiences both personally and professionally, I’ve learned to look at those challenges as an opportunity to adapt. I look forward to sharing some of those experiences with the live entertainment community at PACnet and look at ways we can all learn to look at adversity as a gift.”

Abbott entered Major League Baseball in 1989 straight from college, joining the starting rotation for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (then the California Angels). In 1992, Abbott joined the New York Yankees where he would later throw a 4-0 no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians, the first for the Yankees in a decade. Abbott retired from Major League Baseball after the 1999 season.

“We are thrilled to learn from Jim Abbott’s incredible wealth of experience as an athlete and an individual,” said Kim Damron, President and Chief Operating Officer of Paciolan. “His ability to adapt and achieve incredible success will inspire the community at PACnet’18.”

Abbott has been inducted to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and College Baseball Hall of Fame. He is a motivational speaker and author of the autobiography “Imperfect: An Improbable Life.” He currently resides in California with his wife and two children.

About Paciolan
Paciolan is a leader in ticketing, fundraising, marketing, and analytics solutions with over 37 years of experience serving more than 500 live entertainment organizations. Paciolan enables the sale of more than 120 million tickets per year by powering over 120 college athletic programs, more than 100 professional sports and arenas organizations, 75 performing arts venues, and several regional ticketing partners who serve hundreds of venues. Paciolan along with digital marketing firm Mogo Interactive, branding agency SME, and website provider SIDEARM Sports are subsidiaries of Learfield. Together these companies provide integrated services and solutions to hundreds of live entertainment organizations in North America. Learn more at www.paciolan.com. The annual PACnet community conference brings together more than 750 Paciolan clients, strategic business partners and attendees, highlighted by illuminating keynote speakers, client and industry expert presenters, and dozens of educational sessions during the four-day event. Learn more at http://pacnet.paciolan.com.

About Learfield
An industry leader for more than four decades, Learfield has a deep presence in the college athletics landscape nationwide. It manages the multimedia and sponsorship rights for 125 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas, and supports athletic departments at all competitive levels as title sponsor of the prestigious Learfield Directors’ Cup. Learfield also provides its collegiate partners access to professional concessions and ticket sales; branding, licensing and trademark consulting; digital and social platform expertise; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue and technology systems through its affiliated companies. For more information, visit www.learfield.com.

Media Contacts:
Craig Ricks
Sr. Vice President of Marketing
Paciolan
949.823.1636 (O)

Jessica Boudevin 
Corporate Marketing Manager
Paciolan
949.823.4506 (O)

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a3de479e-b606-4b4a-84ec-9c640c20d9eb