Levine a long way from ‘Autogate’1 min read

By
Jeff Bear
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Mel Levine has lived in Sedona for the past 15 years and is the president of the Sedona Community Tennis Association
Photo by Jordan Reece/Larsonnewspapers

Sedona resident Mel Levine is an amiable sort of person.

With the zeal of a teenager, Levine will talk at length about his beloved Yankees and the first-ever fantasy camp where he met one of his childhood heroes, Mickey Mantle.

He’ll also tell you about the brain operation that led him to learn to play guitar and tennis as part of his rehabilitation.
“Those two things really changed my life,” Levine said. “Now I play the guitar and I’m a No. 4 [USTA ranked] tennis player.”

Levine is the current president of the Sedona Community Tennis Association, an organization focused on providing tennis opportunities to Sedona residents aged 50 or older, while also developing tennis programs for the handicapped and children from low-income families.

“We did a huge league in January — we had over 50 teams,” he said. “Now we’re looking at a mixed doubles league.”
Levine has come a long way since his days as one of the first prominent sports agents in the 1980s.

His book, “Life in the Trash Lane,” tells the story of how he fell into the sports agent business, and recounts his handling of a headline-grabbing national scandal involving college players and cars which was dubbed “Autogate.”

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For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Aug. 14 issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.

Jeff Bear

Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.

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Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.