Management Team
The Triton Sports Management leadership mandate has always been to provide first-class service combined with a team approach, expertise, and analysis. This combination confidently identifies the best possible results for our clients.
Kurt Barton, Chief Executive Officer
Kurt Barton is the Chief Executive Officer and President of the TSM’s parent company, the Triton Group of Companies, and serves as CEO of TSM. Since its founding in 2002, Barton has established a world-class management team at Triton and leads the company’s growth by expanding its footprint and acquiring new businesses and talent that compliment its breadth of products and services. Along with recognition as a prominent innovator and leader in the financial services industry for nearly two decades, Barton has transitioned Triton from a company known primarily for its financial management and consulting businesses to one that is now taking advantage of the synergies in the value-based markets.
Prior to founding Triton, Mr. Barton owned and operated a financial services company focused on managing benefits plans for school districts nationally. In 1998 Barton’s company was acquired by Americo Life and Annuity Insurance Company, where he continued until 2001 as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
Barton began his professional career at New York Life specializing in helping Texas school teachers save for retirement and eliminate debt through 403(b) retirement programs. He serves on the Board of Directors of several companies and is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and the Financial Planning Association.
A graduate of Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science, Mr. Barton holds Series 6, 22, 63 and 65 licenses with the NASD and holds a Group 1 Life and Health Insurance license.
Mike Berry, President
Prior to joining Triton Sports Management in September 2007, Mike Berry served for two and a half years in the dual role of President of the Austin Toros and C.O.O. of the Austin Toros’ former parent company, Southwest Basketball LLC. Working with Southwest Basketball owner, Berry assisted with the development of the company’s other markets including the Tulsa 66ers and 2005-06 NBDL Champion Albuquerque Thunderbirds. In June 2007, Southwest Basketball completed the sale of the Austin Toros to the 2007 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and Berry remained with the Toros as President.
Prior to joining Southwest Basketball, Berry served in various sales, marketing management, and arena development roles, including three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. During the 2004 campaign, Berry served as the Pirates VP of Marketing & Sales and assisted on the 2006 MLB All Star Game bid committee, which helped bring the mid-summer classic to Pittsburgh. Berry also worked in new arena and sponsorship sales with the Portland Trail Blazers (1994-97), the Indiana Pacers (1997-2000) and the San Antonio Spurs (2000-01). Berry and his sales staffs assisted each franchise in achieving all-time highs in sponsorship and premium seat revenue leading up to the opening of three world-class NBA facilities including: the Rose Garden, Conseco Fieldhouse, and the AT&T Center (formerly the SBC Center).
Berry is a volunteer coach with WAYA (West Austin Youth Association) and is also a board member of the Austin Sports Commission. A 1989 graduate of Texas Christian University, he earned his MBA from the University of Oregon in 1994.
Tony Fay, Vice President, Publicity
Tony Fay serves as TSM’s Vice President of Publicity, where he is tasked to plan and execute integrated regional and national publicity campaigns for brands, individuals, and events.
Fay began his career with the Dallas Mavericks, where he most recently served as the club’s Director of Communications. In that capacity, Fay oversaw media relations, publishing, web development, broadcasting, and community relations. With the Mavericks, Fay oversaw the launch of the team’s Katie Award winning magazine, Dallas Mavericks Press; was heavily involved in orchestrating public support for the city-wide referendum that led to the construction of the American Airlines Center; assisted in the management of media hospitality at the 1997 NBA Finals; and served on NBA’s PR Advisory Board. Four times in Fay’s tenure, the national media recognized the Mavericks PR department as the best in the Western Conference.
Upon leaving the Mavericks, Fay founded M-Streets Media, a sports publicity firm whose clients included the Dallas 2012 and NYC 2012 Olympic bid committees, the U.S. Olympic committee, Pepsi-Cola, and the Byron Nelson Championship. M-Streets Media was eventually acquired by Momentum Sports Management and Fay oversaw the integration of the two agencies. Fay went on to serve for three years as Director of Communications and Basketball Editor for Beckett Media, the world’s largest publisher of sports memorabilia publications.
Fay sits on the board of the Press Club of Dallas. He received a degree in journalism from the University of North Texas.
Ty Detmer, Senior Vice President of Athlete Services
Ty Detmer is considered one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time. In his junior year, Ty passed for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns. His ability to strategically break down and precisely execute plays secured him 42 NCAA records in 1990 and the Heisman Trophy. In all, Ty finished his college career with 59 NCAA records and, including statistics from bowl games, he totaled 16,206 passing yards and 127 touchdown passes at BYU.
Ty has parlayed his mastery and love of the game into a distinguished life after football. Now, as Triton Financial’s Senior Vice President of Business Development, the same focus on strategy and determination drives his efforts in the private business sector by leading and growing Triton’s player relations practice with preeminent professional athletes. He is also a member of Triton’s Senior Management Committee.
Koy Detmer, Vice President, Athlete Services
Koy Detmer is Vice President of Business Development and is responsible for expanding Triton’s relationships with preeminent professional athletes to capitalize on the accelerating growth of the “value-based” market.
Detmer brings a special element to the Triton Sports Management team. Born and raised in Texas, he has football in his blood. Detmer went to the University of Colorado where he was one of the most prolific passers in Colorado history passing for 5,390 yards. He also set the school record for most touchdown passes with 40. He graduated with a degree in Communications from CU before being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997 where he went on to play for ten years. Detmer’s most memorable performance came in a Monday night game against San Francisco in 2002. One week after Donovan McNabb broke his ankle, Detmer threw for 227 yards, resulting in two touchdowns and ran for another before leaving with a dislocated elbow in the third quarter of a 38-17 win over the 49ers.
In 2004, he received the Jack Edelstein Award for the player who displays exemplary character while motivating and inspiring others.
Jeff Blake, Director, Athlete Services
Jeff Blake is a Director of Athlete Services for Triton Financial and is responsible for new client contact, player relations, and acquiring sponsorships for events and clients.
A celebrated quarterback for the East Carolina University Pirates, Jeff was known for his grace under fire and ability to run the option in critical situations. He led his team to a win at the Peach Bowl and a ranking in the nation’s top 10, while setting or tying 32 school records.
After taking a position with the Cincinnati Bengals as a quarterback, Jeff proved himself as an NFL contender in 1994. His first NFL start came against then-national champions, the Dallas Cowboys. His performance in this game and those following made him a more formidable presence and allowed him to start for Cincinnati for the next several years. He was soon widely regarded as the owner of the best deep ball in the league, a tightly spinning, soft, catchable pass.
At the conclusion of his thirteen-year career, he amassed 21,711 passing yards, with 134 touchdown passes, and 99 interceptions. A mobile quarterback, Jeff has run for 2,027 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. His longevity has been legitimate, as shown by his 100 career starts.
Fred Akers, Athlete Services
Nationally and internationally acclaimed—Hall of Fame football coach Fred Akers now brings his 35 years of extraordinary winning experience to the corporate arena. He has been the driving force behind many athletes who have gone on to productive futures on and off the playing field. Also renowned as a turnaround specialist, he made a lifelong career of taking mediocre programs and making them successful. However, it is not his success on the field that make him a winner, but the way in which he lives his life — he is his own best success story.
Fred Akers is an enthusiastic, entertaining, and dynamic speaker who relates well to groups of all sizes. Always an inspiring leader, he now coaches on the corporate field the winning philosophies he based his incredible football coaching career on—high expectations, resiliency, and accountability.
These same expectations played a tremendous role in Akers’ football career at The University of Arkansas, two Texas high schools, The University of Texas, The University of Wyoming, and Purdue University. In ten years as head coach at Texas, Akers’ teams played for the national championship two times, and his teams gained the #1 rating four times during his leadership. His record at Texas was 86-31-2 (74%, the second best record in Texas’ history) and his teams played in bowl games nine out of ten seasons. At this time, he was listed among the top 15 winningest coaches in the country and was one of only 23 active coaches to have won over 100 games.
During his career, Coach Akers was one of only five coaches to win Coach of the Year at two athletic programs, back to back. A four-time College Regional Coach of the Year, he coached 22 bowl games; 84 of his players continued in professional football and he coached 23 All-Americans. Additionally, Coach Akers is one of two coaches to coach winners of every major award: Earl Campbell (Heisman Trophy), Brad Shearer (Outland Trophy), and Kenneth Sims and Tony DeGrate (Lombardi Trophy).
Coach Akers has said, ‘Practice doesn’t make perfection, practice of perfection makes perfection”. He now combines his outstanding football coaching experience with 8 years of coaching within organizations to help leadership understand insights of bringing about greater levels of excellence within any organization.
Chris Weinke, Athlete Services
Chris Weinke is a member of the Athlete Services team for Triton Financial and is responsible for new client contact, player relations, and acquiring sponsorships for events and clients.
The top prep quarterback in the country and a Parade and USA Today first team All-America selection as a high school senior, Weinke committed to attend Florida State University. Before matriculating, however, he chose to join the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system. After six years and advancing to the Triple-A level, Weinke enrolled at Florida State in 1997.
As a sophomore in 1998, Weinke led the Florida State Seminoles to a 9-1 record and #2 national ranking. During his junior season in 1999, he led the #1 ranked Seminoles to their first undefeated season with a 12-0 record and the school’s second national championship. As a senior in 2000, Weinke led the nation in passing with 4,167 yards and won the Heisman Trophy, as well as the Davey O’Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Award. At the age of 28, Weinke was the oldest player in football history to win the Heisman Trophy. He finished his Florida State career with a 32-3 record and held numerous FSU records including most passing yards in a career and most career touchdown passes. In 2001, Chris became the seventh Seminole to have his jersey retired.
The Carolina Panthers drafted Weinke in 2001, where he played until 2007.
Chance Mock, Athlete Services
An Austin darling, Chance hails from The Woodlands, Texas, where he was a Parade All-American in 2000 and named one of the “Elite 11” quarterbacks by Rivals.com. As he continued his football career at the University of Texas, he dazzled fans with a record-setting career debut of 106 consecutive passes without an interception. After graduation, Chance stayed in Austin, playing quarterback for the Austin Wranglers, an Arena Football League team, and appearing as a radio commentator for Austin’s sports radio station, The Zone 1300.
Patrick Johnson, Athlete Services
As a student, Johnson was a two-sport athlete. He not only excelled as a member of his school’s football team, but their track team, as well. As a United States representative at the World Junior Track and Field Championships (Lisbon, Portugal), Johnson was a four-time Silver Medalist in the 100 m race in 1994. After high school, Johnson continued his pursuit as a both a football player and track star at the University of Oregon. As an Olympic-caliber sprinter, Johnson was one of the top sprinters in the nation, winning the Pac-10 Championships in the 400 m and defeating the celebrated Carl Lewis in a 100 m race at the Drake Relays. His remarkable speed, doubled with his skill as a football player, made Johnson an impressive wide receiver. While playing wide receiver, he was awarded the Offensive MVP of the 1997 Las Vegas Bowl.
A second round draft pick in 1998, Johnson signed with the Baltimore Ravens as their newest wide receiver. While playing with the Ravens, Johnson earned a Super Bowl ring, when the Ravens defeated the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. After four seasons with the Ravens, Johnson played one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, followed by a season with the Washington Redskins. In 2005, Johnson rejoined the Ravens for one season.
Johnson first joined the Canadian Football League in May of 2007 when he signed with the Edmonton Eskimos. He was later traded to the Toronto Argonauts on June 13, 2007 in exchange for second round pick in the 2008 CFL Canadian Draft.
