JJ Niekro is Head of Commercial Lines at The Rollyson Group, bringing the same competitive drive, discipline, and relationship focus that defined his baseball career to serving Central Florida businesses.
Born and raised in the Tampa Bay area, JJ is the son of longtime Major League pitcher Joe Niekro (221 career wins across 22 seasons) and nephew of Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro (318 wins and one of the game’s greatest knuckleballers). The Niekro brothers hold the MLB record for most wins by a pair of siblings. JJ continued the family tradition as a right-handed pitcher, developing his game locally at Jesuit High School in Tampa before starring at Florida Southern College in Lakeland.
At Jesuit he earned the Al Lopez Man of the Year Award and Heart of the Tiger Award while graduating summa cum laude. At Florida Southern he was a multi-year academic standout (including CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team and the NCAA Elite 90 Award), Team Co-MVP, and a reliable starter known for command and competitiveness despite injuries and a COVID-shortened senior season. After college he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Braves organization—the same franchise tied to his uncle’s legendary career—and pitched several seasons in the minors before retiring in 2025.
JJ’s path reflects resilience and high personal standards: overcoming early family loss (his father passed when JJ was eight), recovering from injury, and earning every opportunity through work ethic rather than pedigree alone. Those same traits—preparation, accountability, and the ability to build trust under pressure—now guide his work helping commercial clients protect and grow their businesses across Central Florida.
A proud product of Jesuit and Florida Southern, JJ is rooted in the local community and brings both a championship mindset and genuine Central Florida connections to The Rollyson Group.