James H. Warsaw

James H. Warsaw,

Legendary Sports Marketing Pioneer, Philanthropist,

Parkinson’s Patient Advocate dies at 61

James H Warsaw, age 61, philanthropist, Parkinson’s

patient advocate, sports marketing icon, devoted husband,

loving father, brother, and son, passed away April 22nd at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Warsaw was a beloved mentor to scores of sports marketing

students who graduated from the Warsaw Center at the

University of Oregon, which he established in 1993.

Long known for his pioneering influence in the field

of sports marketing, Jim accompanied his brother Robert

into the family business, Sports Specialties Corporation,

established by their late father David Warsaw. The company,

a trendsetter in many ways, was the leading marketer of

authentic team sports headwear for Major League Baseball,

the NBA, the NHL, and the NCAA and was also known as

the inventor of Bobble Head dolls for stars and sports teams .

Sports Specialties was the first licensee of NFL Properties.

Upon the sale of Sports Specialties to Nike in 1993, Jim

Warsaw embarked on a second career as a philanthropist,

contributing to numerous causes throughout the country.

However, his special love was reserved for the University of

Oregon on whose Board of Trustees he served and which

housed the center bearing his name.

While Jim was a devoted and doting father to his three

sons, Bryan, Zak, and Kyle, he was never too busy to field

dozens of calls each week from students and former students

whose careers he profoundly impacted. Jim was a 1965

graduate of Beverly Hills High school where he was inducted

into that schools Hall of Fame in 2006. As a visionary who

wielded wide influence in the world of sports, Jim maintained

close personal relationships with many of the professional

sports leagues’ commissioners, and in 2008 was inducted into

the Orange County Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

A member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, Jim was

honored by its national board for his philanthropic

work. Jim has served on numerous philanthropic Boards

including The Giving Back Fund, where he established the

James H Warsaw Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the

University of Oregon, the LA Sports Council, and the USC

Sports Business Institute. As a Parkinson’s patient and

patient advocate, Jim, through his foundation, convened a

groundbreaking international Parkinson’s Summit in 2001 of

the leading scientists, clinicians, and researchers in the field.

The Summit gave birth to the Cure Parkinson’s Program

which Jim Co-Founded. Up until the time of his death, Jim

was a leading national patient advocate in the fight to cure

Parkinson’s disease.

Jim is survived by his wife Ellyne, sons Bryan, Zak, and

Kyle, his Mother Anne , his brothers Zeke (Carolyn) and

Robert (Carol), and his sister Wendy Ruby (Ken) and his

beloved nieces and nephews

Funeral services will be held Sunday April 26 at 12:30 PM

at Temple Bat Yahm, 1011 Camelback Street in Newport

Beach, California.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Jim’s

honor to The Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, 1208

University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403 and/or James

H Warsaw Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, 6033 West

Century Blvd., Suite 350, Los Angeles, California 90045 and

the Cure Parkinson’s Program at the same address.