The career of Pat Moriarty, IM 77, has come full circle: He went from playing pro football with the Cleveland Browns to working in the banking industry for Society Management Services Company, only to end up back in the NFL. As senior vice president of football administration for the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens—and one of the NFL’s first “capologists”—Moriarty is the go-to guy when it comes to navigating the complexities of the salary cap, the byzantine system that governs how much money teams can spend on players.
What exactly is the role of a “capologist”? I report to Ozzie Newsome, [the Ravens’] general manager, who makes the final roster decisions for the team. With the salary cap, there’s a balancing act that happens. You just can’t make deals in a vacuum. If you’re spending a lot on a quarterback, there are other places where you can’t spend as much. My main focus is to put a value on the players who make up the 53-man roster.
How did this become the focus of your work? In 1993, there was a new collective bargaining agreement [between NFL owners and players], which put a cap system into place. When I came on board [in 1994], the cap was totally new, and I had to work closely with other league officials to figure it out. I would look at how it affected contracts and the overall management of the roster. When the cap first came out, there were more questions than there were answers.
What is your day-to-day life like with the Ravens? My background was in banking, so I’ve done a lot of work on the financial side. There’s dealing with contract negotiations and all other kinds of labor issues that arise. I also act as the chief liaison between the club and the NFL management council. I went back and got my law degree at the University of Baltimore, as a lot of what I do on a day-to-day basis revolves around labor. And I went to John Carroll [University] in Cleveland to get my MBA.
How did your time at Tech help prepare you for your career? I was an industrial management major, so the education I received directly helped with respect to my overall understanding of how business works. Also, the fact that I played football and met so many great people—like Bobby Dodd, Pepper Rodgers, Jerry Glanville and Dick Bestwick—was a tremendous help.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to end up in a pro sports front office? Be as flexible as you can possibly be. Do almost anything that you can, because there are only so many opportunities for entry-level positions with teams. Also, it’s important to get as much education as you can. Teams are looking for problem solvers, those with good communication and analytical skills. We’re no different than other companies. We just happen to be in the business of sports.
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I had several classes with Pat (as did many other IM’s). Totally agree with the flexibility comment. You never know where a Tech degree may lead if you are willing to be flexible. Tech’s academics trained us to solve problems well, a skill that is invaluable.