Chad Estis is a visionary leader in the sports business industry, serving as Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Dallas Cowboys and AT&T Stadium, as well as Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for Legends. With a track record of driving unprecedented growth, Estis has been instrumental in shaping revenue generation, fan engagement, and large-scale development projects across professional and collegiate sports.
At the Dallas Cowboys, Estis works alongside the organization's business leadership to grow and strengthen corporate partnerships, premium seating and ticketing strategies, media and branding initiatives, and third-party event programming. His contributions have been transformative, including orchestrating one of the most successful stadium suite and seat license sales campaigns in the industry. He also spearheaded the development of The Star, the Cowboys' state-of-the-art headquarters and training facility in Frisco, Texas. As part of this project, Estis developed and executed groundbreaking concepts like Cowboys Club, an exclusive social club and restaurant that provides fans with an immersive Cowboys experience like never before.
Beyond his work with the Cowboys, Estis has played a pivotal role in bringing marquee events to North Texas, helping local organizing committees secure the NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, College Football Playoff National Championship, Academy of Country Music Awards, and WrestleMania.
As Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer at Legends, Estis leads the company’s Global Sales, Partnerships, and Collegiate divisions, along with CSL International, its research arm, and overall business development. With deep industry relationships and a reputation for strategic innovation, he has helped Legends redefine revenue generation in sports and entertainment. Under his leadership, Global Sales has become one of the most influential divisions in the industry, while the acquisition of CSL International has further strengthened Legends’ 360-degree business model, integrating planning, sales, and hospitality into a comprehensive solution.
Before joining the Cowboys, Estis was Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena (2006-07), where he oversaw sales, marketing, community relations, communications, and game operations. His leadership helped drive attendance from an average of 11,497 fans per game in 2001 to 20,430 in 2006, while launching multiple premium-seating innovations. Prior to that, he served as VP of Sales for the Tampa Bay Lightning, held sales leadership roles with Palace Sports & Entertainment, and started his career in sports with the Cavaliers in 1994.
A former four-year letter winner and captain of Ohio University’s 1994 MAC Championship basketball team, Estis holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in Sports Administration from Ohio University. His ability to merge competitive drive with strategic vision has made him one of the most respected executives in the sports business industry today.
