About Ross...

Ross Bernstein is the best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books and has appeared on thousands of television and radio programs over his career, including CNN and ESPN, as well as in the pages of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today. As a sought after motivational keynote speaker, Ross uses sports as a metaphor for life and for business to inspire his audiences and challenges them to think differently. From audiences ranging in size from 25 to 2,500, Ross regularly speaks to corporations, sales groups and trade associations around the country — specializing in the topics of “Ethics & Accountability” and “Passions & Legacies.”

Back In The Day...

Ross grew up in the small southern Minnesota town of Fairmont and went on to attend the University of Minnesota. It was there where he first got into writing through some rather unique circumstances. You see, after a failed attempt to make it as a walk-on to the University’s top-ranked Golden Gopher hockey team, Ross opted for the next best thing — to become the team’s mascot, “Goldy the Gopher.” His humorous accounts as a mischievous rodent then inspired the 1992 regional best-seller: “Gopher Hockey by the Hockey Gopher.” Talk about making lemonade out of lemons… the rest, as they say, is history!

From there, Ross spent the next five years living in Chicago and New York City, working as the vice president of marketing for a start-up children’s entertainment company that he co-founded along with several former executives from the Walt Disney Company. Feeling as though he was missing his calling, however, in 1997 Ross took a leap of faith and moved back to Minnesota to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time sports author. Since then he has written nearly 50 books — ranging from critically acclaimed national biographies, to regional coffee-table chronicles, to inspirational children's memoirs. He even found time to co-found and serve as the editor (for two years) of Minnesota Hockey Journal, a magazine with a circulation of 50,000+ readers. Between writing and speaking, Ross feels as though he has created his “dream job” and is truly living his passion each and every day.

Personal...

Ross and his wife Sara, who have been married for 15 years, have a seven year old daughter and presently reside in Eagan, Minn. A downright sports fanatic, Ross — despite the fact that he has broken more than 20 bones —continues to play hockey several times a week. He is also an avid golfer and skier, and has run six marathons to-date… still in hot pursuit of that elusive sub-four-hour finishing time. In addition, Ross currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Herb Brooks Foundation, a cause that is truly near and dear to his heart.