Who is Jeff Sperbeck? NFL agent who fell from golf cart driven by John Elway had Bay Area ties
Jeff Sperbeck, a longtime player agent and business partner to Hall of Famer John Elway, died early Wednesday in Palm Springs from injuries suffered after falling from a golf cart driven by the legendary Denver Broncos quarterback.
According to a report from the Denver Post, the sheriff’s office in Riverside County is investigating Sperbeck’s death. The 62-year-old “rolled and hit his head on the asphalt when he fell off the cart in a private California golf community, according to TMZ.”
“Paramedics took Sperbeck to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs and he was put on life support before he was pronounced dead at 1:10 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
“Elway and Sperbeck were longtime friends and business partners, and the two men and their wives and Elway’s son had reportedly been at the Stagecoach music festival earlier in the day and were leaving a post-party when the fall happened.”
Sperbeck, a sports agent who once served as Elway’s representative, was a longtime friend of the Pro Football Hall of Famer. The pair were co-owners of 7Cellars, a winery based in Napa County in collaboration with winemaker Robert Mondavi Jr.
Sperbeck got his start as an agent in the Bay Area in the late 1980s after starring as a quarterback at Sacramento’s Jesuit High School and attending Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, according to the Nob Hill Gazette. Among his first clients were 49ers stars Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig before he connected with Elway in 1991.
He founded two different agencies: Sullivan & Sperbeck, alongside Mike Sullivan in 1994, which was later sold to Octagon Sports; and The Novo Agency in 2009.
Sperbeck remained active as an agent for players and coaches after going into business with Elway, representing more than 100 NFL players, coaches and executives, according to 9NEWS’s Mike Klis, a longtime Broncos reporter. Former 49ers running back LaMichael James, veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks and veteran defensive tackle Danny Shelton were former clients of Sperbeck’s.
Longtime NFL assistant coach Greg Knapp — who was a practice squad player and, later, an offensive coordinator for the 49ers — was also on Sperbeck’s client list. Sperbeck, who lived most recently in Southern California, helped organize a fundraising effort against distracted driving after Knapp was struck and killed in 2021 while riding his bike in San Ramon.
Elway has not commented publicly on the case. Attempts by this news organization to reach Lott and Craig for comment have not been returned.
Bay Area News Group reporter Jerry McDonald contributed to this report.