By SUDEEP REDDY / The Dallas Morning News

They're showered with fame, glory and multimillion-dollar salaries.

Young athletes may look like they have it made, but careers are often short, and financial success can evaporate quickly, says Ryan McNeil, a defensive back for the San Diego Chargers.

"For some guys coming into the league, that's scary," said Mr. McNeil, 31, who was a Dallas Cowboys cornerback in the 2000 season. "That's a whole lot of life to live – and you want to live it comfortably."

To help professional athletes achieve their business and financial goals, Mr. McNeil launched the Professional Business & Financial Network last year.

The group's first conference opened Sunday at Dallas' Union Station. The three-day event, with lessons on building a business and managing finances, will include speeches from financial experts and Hall of Fame athletes such as Roger Staubach, the former Cowboys quarterback who launched his real estate firm in 1977 while still playing football.

"Business is a natural segue for professional athletes," said Mr. McNeil, who opened a consulting firm, McNeil Management Inc., when he started his career in 1991.

With a little planning, athletes can leave their careers with enough capital to launch a company. But finding the right guidance and expertise is the toughest part.

"You get so used to playing ball, and you're always told what to do," said Bill Neill, whose four-season career with the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers was cut short by knee injuries in 1984. "Now you have to figure out how to make good money outside of football."

His time on the field was typical; the average pro football career is just 3 ½ years, according to the National Football League.

Mr. Neill earned an electrical engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981, but being in the NFL didn't help his marketability in the field.

"You almost get put at a disadvantage, because you get out of the job market," said Mr. Neill, who, instead, launched a janitorial supply company in New Jersey.

The astronomical salaries also can be a problem. Some athletes try to "maintain a Superman lifestyle in order to live up to the expectations of everyone around you," said Jim Corbett, who was a tight end with the Cincinnati Bengals until a career-ending knee injury in 1981.

Stories are everywhere about players who go broke after making bad investments in everything from specialty car businesses to restaurants to construction companies, he said.

"You've got a young man with a check for half a million dollars who has never had to open a checking account," said Mr. Corbett, who runs a financial planning firm. "That person with a huge check has nobody to turn to."

Mr. McNeil's network wants to target athletes early to make sure they have financial independence when they retire.

"You can't start that too soon," Mr. Corbett said.

E-mail: sreddy@dallasnews.com