Fay Vincent - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Vincent was an exceptional athlete as a young man, showing talent in track and field as well as football. However, his life changed forever when a near-fatal accident in college crushed one of his legs. He had been locked inside his Williams College dorm room as a prank; climbing out onto the roof to escape, he slipped off the ledge, which was four stories high. Suffering a crushed spine and paralyzed legs, Vincent spent three months in a form of traction. He overcame his initial diagnosis, which was that he would never walk. But Vincent's leg has never fully recovered and he has been relegated to the use of a cane.

Vincent is a graduate of The Hotchkiss School, Williams College, (class of 1960), which he attended on a full academic scholarship and from which graduated with honors, and Yale Law School (class of 1963).

After graduating from law school, Vincent was a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Caplin & Drysdale. He also served as Associate Director of the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Vincent was the chairman of Columbia Pictures (beginning in 1978) and the vice chairman of Coca-Cola (beginning in March 1982). In April 1986, he was promoted to the position of Executive Vice President of the Coca-Cola Company, which placed him in charge over all of the company's entertainment activities.