In a sports industry where most move around the country seeking opportunities to advance, Grady Raskin used to be embarrassed that he only worked in Dallas, the place he was born and raised.

But his local experience proved to be beneficial when the XFL began its search for team presidents in February.

Raskin was officially named president of Dallas' XFL franchise on Thursday.

"One of the things that excites me the most is putting together a front office, albeit lean and mean, but putting together a group of people that see the vision and see the opportunity to be one of a very few people that get to start a league from scratch," Raskin said. "I think back to the people who started up the NBA and all the other leagues, and what an opportunity they had. And they probably didn't know what they were getting themselves into."

Raskin, 45, is a Greenhill School alum and graduate of George Washington University. The sports marketing major started his career with the Rangers in 1996. He bounced around the Rangers and Stars until 2012. He has spent the last seven years solely with the Stars. His most recent title was vice president of corporate partnerships.

Grady Raskin, pictured in 2007. (FILE / FILE)

While enjoying the Stars' recent playoff success and hope for the future, a recruiter reached out with the XFL opportunity.

"It wasn't until then that I really thought that this may be my opportunity to really have some accelerated and amazing professional growth and be able to stay in the city that really defines who I am," Raskin said. "I've worked for baseball and hockey teams but my passion has always been football."

The Dallas franchise named former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops as head coach and general manager in February. The franchise is expected to reveal a team name in the near future. The draft is scheduled for early September. The season will begin next February with the Dallas franchise playing its home games at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Some of Raskin's responsibilities will include business operations, fan engagement, venue relationship, corporate marketing and community relations.

Jeffrey Pollack, XFL president and chief operating officer, was tasked with finding presidents for all eight franchises. His search focused on ascending fresh faces in the industry who knew the local sports and business communities.

"He's relevant to the market," Pollack said of Raskin. "He knows the Dallas, Metroplex sports scene inside out. He's a lifer. He was a perfect choice for this job. We met in person, had dinner and it was just clear to me that he's a winner and he's the right leader for us in Dallas."