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Chris Nowinski

Former Harvard football player; Former WWE Wrestler; Co-Founder and President of Concussion Legacy Foundation

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Chris Nowinski Biography

Chris Nowinski is the founding executive director of the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the sports concussion crisis through education, advocacy, and research. Chris also serves as the Outreach, Recruitment, Education, and Public Policy Leader at the BU CTE Center, which he co-founded, and is a Ph.D. candidate in Behavioral Neuroscience at Boston University School of Medicine. He is the author of the book Head Games, as well as 18 medical journal articles.

Chris has dedicated his life to solving the concussion crisis. An All-Ivy defensive tackle for the Harvard University football team. Chris graduated cum laude in 2000 with an A.B. in Sociology and was hired by the life sciences consulting firm Trinity Partners, LLC. While fascinated by the pharmaceutical development industry, Chris decided to take a chance and try to become a professional wrestler, enrolling in Killer Kowalski’s Institute of Professional Wrestling and taking classes at night. He quickly was signed by WWE, the premier sports entertainment organization in the world, where he debuted on Monday Night RAW in 2002 as Christopher Nowinski, a bad guy that fans still refer to as “Chris Harvard.”

Chris suffered a serious concussion in June, 2003. Due to his ignorance of concussions, he was not honest about his symptoms and continued to wrestle and work out for five weeks while symptomatic. He developed post-concussion syndrome and was forced to retire. It wasn’t until he visited the renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Cantu that Chris was first exposed to medical research that revealed to him that concussions and brain trauma were misunderstood in the sports world. Chris realized that this lack of awareness among athletes, coaches, and even medical professionals not only cost him his career, abut also threatened the health and well-being of athletes of all ages.

He wrote the critically acclaimed book Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis, published in 2006, in an effort to educate the world about this serious public health issue. In 2012, the book was adapted for the documentary film of the same name, Head Games (link to internal page), directed by Steve James, and the book was updated to coincide with the film’s release. Both the book and documentary were updated again in 2014, now as Head Games: the Global Concussion Crisis.

In November, 2006, Chris led the investigation that found 44-year-old former NFL star Andre Waters was suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by trauma, when he committed suicide. Chris obtained permission from the Waters family to study Mr. Waters’ brain. In 2007, Chris co-founded SLI with Dr. Cantu to advance that research and translate findings into smarter and safer sports.

In 2008, SLI partnered with Boston University School of Medicine CTE Center, the first research center in the world dedicated to the study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease associated with brain trauma. Chris has led recruitment for the VA-BU-SLI Brain Bank, which is now the largest in the world with over 260 brains donated, and over a thousand more pledged.

Today Chris serves as an unpaid advisor to the NFL Players Association Mackey-White Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Committee, the Ivy League Multi-Sport Concussion Review Committee, and Major League Lacrosse. He also serves on the Positive Coaching Alliance National Advisory Board.

Chris and the team’s work has been featured in print outlets such as the New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, ESPN the Magazine, and The New Yorker, and has been featured on television programs including 60 Minutes, PBS Frontline, ESPN Outside the Lines, CNN, Fox News, TSN, ABC Nightline, and makes frequent radio appearances. His profile in May 2007 by HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel won the Emmy for Sports Journalism, and he and his work have been featured in four subsequent episodes in January 2010, August 2010, November 2012, and October 2014. Chris also provides the voiceover for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Concussion Training for Coaches video, which has been seen by millions of coaches.

In 2014 Chris and SLI received the ETHOS Award from the Santa Clara University Institute of Sports Law and Ethics (ISLE), which honors a decision, action, initiative, or program that has contributed to the ethics of sport in the United States. In 2012, Chris received the United States Sports Academy Distinguished Service Award and the Sport at its Best Award as a Player Safety Advocate from Ralph Nader’s League of Fans.

In 2011 Chris was named an Eisenhower Fellow, a program which identifies, empowers and links outstanding leaders from around the world, helping them to achieve consequential outcomes across sectors and borders. On his Fellowship he traveled through Europe to advance SLI’s mission and create research partnerships (read his blog of the experience here). He also received the Presidential Medallion from Western New England College, the school’s highest honor, and the Zach Lydstedt Angel Award from the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation. HealthLeaders Media named him to the HealthLeaders 20, recognizing “People Who Make Healthcare Better,” and Hockey News named him to the 40 Under 40 most powerful people in hockey.

In 2010, Sports Illustrated named him a finalist for Sportsman of the Year, and he received the Patrick Brady Award from the Brain Injury Association of Illinois. In 2008 he received the CoBI Award from the Council on Brain Injury and received a Compassionate Action Award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for creating the brain donation program, which will provide information that can usually only be obtained from animal studies.

Chris is a frequent speaker on leadership, overcoming adversity, and various aspects of brain trauma. Since 2004 he has spoken over 280 times at universities, corporations, conferences, high schools, and sports organizations around the world.

Videos
Books
Head Games

Head Games

News
FAQs
  • HOW TO BOOK Chris Nowinski?

    Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Chris Nowinski for both live and virtual events for over 15 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. Fill out a booking request form for Chris Nowinski, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Chris Nowinski or any other celebrity of your choice.
  • HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BOOK Chris Nowinski?

    Speaking fees for Chris Nowinski, or any other keynote speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The amount that Chris Nowinski charges to speak often varies according to the circumstances, including their schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. The speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Chris Nowinski, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.
  • WHO IS THE AGENT FOR Chris Nowinski?

    All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Chris Nowinski for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Chris Nowinski for your next private or corporate function.
  • WHAT IS A FULL-SERVICE TALENT BOOKING AGENCY?

    All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Chris Nowinski or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Chris Nowinski or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

Former Harvard football player; Former WWE Wrestler; Co-Founder and President of Concussion Legacy Foundation

Travels From:
Boston, MA, USA
Speaking Fee:

Chris Nowinski Biography

Chris Nowinski is the founding executive director of the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the sports concussion crisis through education, advocacy, and research. Chris also serves as the Outreach, Recruitment, Education, and Public Policy Leader at the BU CTE Center, which he co-founded, and is a Ph.D. candidate in Behavioral Neuroscience at Boston University School of Medicine. He is the author of the book Head Games, as well as 18 medical journal articles.

Chris has dedicated his life to solving the concussion crisis. An All-Ivy defensive tackle for the Harvard University football team. Chris graduated cum laude in 2000 with an A.B. in Sociology and was hired by the life sciences consulting firm Trinity Partners, LLC. While fascinated by the pharmaceutical development industry, Chris decided to take a chance and try to become a professional wrestler, enrolling in Killer Kowalski’s Institute of Professional Wrestling and taking classes at night. He quickly was signed by WWE, the premier sports entertainment organization in the world, where he debuted on Monday Night RAW in 2002 as Christopher Nowinski, a bad guy that fans still refer to as “Chris Harvard.”

Chris suffered a serious concussion in June, 2003. Due to his ignorance of concussions, he was not honest about his symptoms and continued to wrestle and work out for five weeks while symptomatic. He developed post-concussion syndrome and was forced to retire. It wasn’t until he visited the renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Cantu that Chris was first exposed to medical research that revealed to him that concussions and brain trauma were misunderstood in the sports world. Chris realized that this lack of awareness among athletes, coaches, and even medical professionals not only cost him his career, abut also threatened the health and well-being of athletes of all ages.

He wrote the critically acclaimed book Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis, published in 2006, in an effort to educate the world about this serious public health issue. In 2012, the book was adapted for the documentary film of the same name, Head Games (link to internal page), directed by Steve James, and the book was updated to coincide with the film’s release. Both the book and documentary were updated again in 2014, now as Head Games: the Global Concussion Crisis.

In November, 2006, Chris led the investigation that found 44-year-old former NFL star Andre Waters was suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by trauma, when he committed suicide. Chris obtained permission from the Waters family to study Mr. Waters’ brain. In 2007, Chris co-founded SLI with Dr. Cantu to advance that research and translate findings into smarter and safer sports.

In 2008, SLI partnered with Boston University School of Medicine CTE Center, the first research center in the world dedicated to the study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease associated with brain trauma. Chris has led recruitment for the VA-BU-SLI Brain Bank, which is now the largest in the world with over 260 brains donated, and over a thousand more pledged.

Today Chris serves as an unpaid advisor to the NFL Players Association Mackey-White Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Committee, the Ivy League Multi-Sport Concussion Review Committee, and Major League Lacrosse. He also serves on the Positive Coaching Alliance National Advisory Board.

Chris and the team’s work has been featured in print outlets such as the New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, ESPN the Magazine, and The New Yorker, and has been featured on television programs including 60 Minutes, PBS Frontline, ESPN Outside the Lines, CNN, Fox News, TSN, ABC Nightline, and makes frequent radio appearances. His profile in May 2007 by HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel won the Emmy for Sports Journalism, and he and his work have been featured in four subsequent episodes in January 2010, August 2010, November 2012, and October 2014. Chris also provides the voiceover for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Concussion Training for Coaches video, which has been seen by millions of coaches.

In 2014 Chris and SLI received the ETHOS Award from the Santa Clara University Institute of Sports Law and Ethics (ISLE), which honors a decision, action, initiative, or program that has contributed to the ethics of sport in the United States. In 2012, Chris received the United States Sports Academy Distinguished Service Award and the Sport at its Best Award as a Player Safety Advocate from Ralph Nader’s League of Fans.

In 2011 Chris was named an Eisenhower Fellow, a program which identifies, empowers and links outstanding leaders from around the world, helping them to achieve consequential outcomes across sectors and borders. On his Fellowship he traveled through Europe to advance SLI’s mission and create research partnerships (read his blog of the experience here). He also received the Presidential Medallion from Western New England College, the school’s highest honor, and the Zach Lydstedt Angel Award from the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation. HealthLeaders Media named him to the HealthLeaders 20, recognizing “People Who Make Healthcare Better,” and Hockey News named him to the 40 Under 40 most powerful people in hockey.

In 2010, Sports Illustrated named him a finalist for Sportsman of the Year, and he received the Patrick Brady Award from the Brain Injury Association of Illinois. In 2008 he received the CoBI Award from the Council on Brain Injury and received a Compassionate Action Award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for creating the brain donation program, which will provide information that can usually only be obtained from animal studies.

Chris is a frequent speaker on leadership, overcoming adversity, and various aspects of brain trauma. Since 2004 he has spoken over 280 times at universities, corporations, conferences, high schools, and sports organizations around the world.

Chris Nowinski Videos

  • The quest for truth on concussions and CTE | Chris Nowinski | TED
  • 21Alive: Christopher Nowinski On Concussions

Chris Nowinski Books

FAQs on booking Chris Nowinski

  • How to book Chris Nowinski?

    Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Chris Nowinski for both live and virtual events for over 20 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. Fill out a booking request form for Chris Nowinski, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Chris Nowinski or any other celebrity of your choice.
  • How much does it cost to book Chris Nowinski?

    Speaking fees for Chris Nowinski, or any other keynote speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The amount that Chris Nowinski charges to speak often varies according to the circumstances, including their schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. The speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Chris Nowinski, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.
  • Who is the agent for Chris Nowinski?

    All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Chris Nowinski for clients worldwide for more than 20 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Chris Nowinski for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service talent booking agency?

    All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Chris Nowinski or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Chris Nowinski or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.

Chris Nowinski is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Chris Nowinski for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Chris Nowinski generally travels from Boston, MA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Beth Brooke, Chris Hughes, Eric Schmidt, David Breashears and Ron Gonen. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Chris Nowinski for an upcoming live or virtual event.

Chris Nowinski Speaker Videos

  • The quest for truth on concussions and CTE | Chris Nowinski | TED
    21Alive: Christopher Nowinski On Concussions

Chris Nowinski News

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Speakers Similar to Chris Nowinski

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

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