Kraken CEO Leiweke Implores Grads Not To Let Adversity Stymie Achievement

"It's hard. It's arduous. It's something I didn't do, and most people didn't do."

The words of Seattle Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke. About winning a Stanley Cup? A Super Bowl? Though it might be tough for sports fans to fathom, Leiweke was referencing a more important achievement.

The man who's served as an executive with the Seahawks, the NFL, and multiple NHL franchises spoke movingly on Sunday at Seattle University's graduate schools commencement.

What Leiweke "didn't do" was earn a graduate degree, though the University bestowed upon him an honorary doctorate in the ceremony at Climate Pledge Arena.

Leiweke Faced Family Tragedies As Child

Before Leiweke discussed achievement, he talked from the heart about overcoming obstacles.

"The mentors for me were people who overcame adversity. Yes, I went to the Super Bowl and lost. And yes, I went to the Stanley Cup Finals and lost. But that wasn't real adversity."

Leiweke shared a deeply personal story about the death of two family members in a seven year span.

"I grew up in St. Louis. As a young kid, I knew that my mom was really sick. For much of my early life, I saw my mother battle cancer. She lost her life when I was nine years old."

His dad remarried. "It didn't work out. We lost pretty much everything." A subsequent relationship would prove more successful. "The marriage to my stepmother Pat really defined what I knew as love."

Leiweke described moving with his parents to a rural community in the Missouri Ozarks "where half lived below the poverty line."

Another gut-punch arrived when Leiweke arrived home from high school. "I'll never forget the day, being informed that my stepmother had cancer. She lost her life."

Leiweke recalled what happened next as the defining moment in his life. "My stepmother, in one lucid moment, said to me, 'I'm not going to make it. You are. Make the most of every day.'

"It wasn't easy. I was disillusioned. I had a poor senior year of high school. Bad SATs. Rejection letters from universities. But I never forgot that advice."

Like so many others, Leiweke drew inspiration from civil rights icon Martin Luther King. He found out that King, while looking invincible, suffered from deep depression.

"He pushed aside the negative, embraced the positive, and created a roadmap. He lifted up an entire generation. He is truly one of my mentors."

Editor's Note: In a companion story later today, the sports executive shares lessons learned about overcoming adversity in his professional life.