Harold Guiver, 79; Former L.A. Ram Executive Also Worked as a Sports Agent, Ticket Broker

Harold Guiver, a former executive for the Los Angeles Rams, died of stomach cancer Friday at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach. He was 79.

The Long Beach resident also was a nationally known bridge player who often teamed with former UCLA and Ram coach Tommy Prothro in competitions.

Born in Gladstone, Ore., on Dec. 30, 1925, Guiver grew up in Los Angeles and attended USC, where he was a member of an NCAA champion tennis team.

Before going to work for the Rams in 1978, he was a sports agent, at one time representing eight starters for the Rams. They included Larry Brooks, Lawrence McCutcheon and Merlin Olsen. While an agent, Guiver became the first to set up deferred payments for his clients. It is now a common practice among sports teams.

Carroll Rosenbloom, owner of the Rams, had said he regarded Guiver as such a tough negotiator that he decided to hire him to negotiate player contracts for the team.

After Rosenbloom drowned off the Florida coast in 1979, Guiver remained with the team for a while, then joined Rosenbloom’s son, Steve, with the New Orleans Saints, spending two years with the team. In recent years, Guiver worked as a ticket broker for Doug Knittle, president of Beverly Hills-based www.razorgator.com.

Guiver is survived by his wife, Pat; two daughters, Kate Dare-Winters of Boston and Michelle Guiver of Tucson; a grandson, Jonathan Whitener of Chino Hills; and two great-grandsons, Ashton and Randall Whitener.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, 1500 E. San Antonio Drive, Long Beach.