Gene's Blog: For 29 years, a good run at a great university

Once upon a time, in the fall of 1988 at age 30, I moved north from Ames, Iowa to the Twin Cities.

I was leaving a lively newspaper editor job at the Ames Daily Tribune, where for six years I covered major-college sports in the old Big Eight Conference as well as high school teams and community news. But the time was right for a career change.

After accepting a full-time day job downtown doing editing tasks, I supplemented that by landing a half-time nights and weekends job as sports information director at Minneapolis' Augsburg College.

The Auggies' opportunity, which also included a side role coaching distance runners in track and field, eventually became my main full-time focus. In the early 1990s my coaching expanded as I served as the first head coach for Augsburg's women's and men's cross country teams.

There were many 60-hour weeks during that era, but it was a way to pay the bills, make connections, and break into the Twin Cities media market.

In those years, Augsburg, while a friendly place, was not the most glamorous gig. I inherited a 6 x 10 foot basement office equipped only with an electric typewriter and a pencil sharpener.

I recall writing to a friend from Ames, Tom Kroeschell, with news that I was joining him in the fraternity of sports info workers. Tom, who had seven years under his belt in assistant SID roles at Drake and Iowa State, responded with a touch of sarcasm:

"Congratulations on becoming an SID... now report to the nearest mental facility and have your head examined."

The End is Near (of My Tommie Career)

Somehow, 35 years have passed since that warm welcome into the SID profession by Mr. Kroeschell. Tom's trademark sense of humor helped him grind out 33 more years in various roles promoting Iowa State Cyclone athletics before his retirement in June 2021.

For me, that six-year run at Augsburg flowed into my 29-year adventure here at St. Thomas. That era comes to an end next week as I conclude a 40-plus year career in full-time journalism and media relations.

It's time to pass the baton here to Kelsey Whaley, Collin Boyles and Tony Pasquesi, among others. This next wave of SIDs -- or as they're known today, athletics communicators -- will ably document and amplify this interesting next chapter of Tommie sports.

Like Mr. Kroeschell, I couldn't have done it without a sense of humor... or a sense of purpose. I found that opportunity at Summit and Cretin Avenues. I feel fortunate to have had the chance to work and serve at such a dynamic university.

St. Thomas is a unique place. It's an institution that has made a difference in so many lives. I appreciate how it celebrates its past, digs into the present, and always has an eye on the future. Since the school opened in 1885, athletics has played an important role in advancing the university's mission and reputation.

I was fortunate. I had a front-row seat here to watch and promote the many impressive competitors, teams and coaches in their chase for excellence. In the process I became engrained in the Tommie family, sharing a bond with students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and fans.

The many hats you are asked to wear as an SID include those of a writer, a statistician, a website manager, a media relations specialist, a photographer, a marketer, a videographer, a social media guru, a graphics designer, an historian, a university ambassador, and a lobbyist in nominating athletes and coaches for awards. I almost forgot, you get to hire and mentor student workers, too.

Our youngest son Peter saw the SID's role this way 10 years ago when as a second-grader he remarked: "Dad, you have the greatest job. You get to sit around all day and watch sports."

I'm grateful that Steve Fritz and JoAnn Andregg took a chance on me back in 1994. I appreciate that current AD Phil Esten trusted me to execute an important role during the transition into Division I.

I've been blessed to be surrounded by so many friendly and devoted colleagues, coaches and student-athletes. There's no shortage of positive and interesting stories to tell here. I pitched the best stories to local and national media, and told many of them myself on our own website.

I wouldn't have been able to help move the needle for St. Thomas like we did without a lot of help.

The support and understanding from my wife Barb and kids Bridget, George and Peter top that list. The amazing Barb held down the home front on many weekends and on many evenings and nights when the Tommie teams were competing.

I'm also so appreciative of past and present student workers and freelance workers, and for the many past and present colleagues around campus that helped me accomplish tasks, both large and small.

Group

Gene had the home-team advantage as he navigated an enjoyable career of promoting Tommie student-athletes, teams and coaches

Vivid Memories

One of my mantras in life: If you stay around long enough, you see just about everything. Some of my special memories of these last 29 years include:

Getting goose bumps while covering seven NCAA championship seasons and eight other NCAA runner-up teams, plus a parade of individual or relay national champs.
Telling the stories of Tommie underdogs and overachievers, and finding that every bit as rewarding as celebrating our gold medalists.
Working alongside 58 different head coaches across 20 sports teams. We all operated under three different university presidents, five provosts or executive VPs, and two athletics directors.
Working home St. Thomas sporting events in venues near and far: O'Shaughnessy Hall, Coughlan Fieldhouse, Parade Ice Garden, State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Aldrich Arena, O'Shaughnessy Stadium, Koch Diamond, South Field, old Schoenecker Arena, new Schoenecker Arena, the AARC, St. Thomas Ice Arena, an interim year of volleyball and hoops at Concordia's Gangelhoff Center, two home hoops games at Macalester's Leonard Center, Metrodome, Target Field, Allianz Field, countless indoor tennis courts, and whatever Minnesota domed facility John Tschida could get rented when snow disrupted his home softball doubleheader.
Nominating our athletes for weekly and annual awards. As a testament to the quality of young women and men across Tommie rosters, our athletes received 102 CoSIDA Academic All-America honors since I arrived in 1994. That list includes winter 1995, my first year here, when senior basketball sharpshooter Johnny Tauer received the elite national honor after he led the Purple to a 27-1 season.
There were heartbreaking days, too. We mourned the passing of Hall of Famers like Tom Feely, Doc Russ, and Dennis Denning. We attended unexpected funerals, including those for Doug Hennes, Woody Hughes, Dan Carey, Willy McCoy, Cole Tallman and Tessie Thompson.
There was one especially sobering time. It seemed like a bad dream on our deserted campus in March 2020, as Covid had brought normal routines to a halt, when I gave access to a Star Tribune photographer. His photo story on the pandemic's practical effects included his images of multiple dark and empty venues in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex.
As we came out of Covid, there was a four-month stretch in 2021 that I had the unprecedented chance to run a Division III SID office... and then run a Division I SID office. And nobody here can say this decade has been dull: in the last three years alone, we worked with SIDs from more than 40 schools in our same conferences from the MIAC to the Summit League to the Pioneer League to the WCHA to the CCHA.
In 2016 I received the Sid Hartman Media Award from the Minnesota chapter of the National Football Foundation. I think they just felt sorry for me for having to host nine home football games in each of those two Tommie Stagg Bowl seasons of 2012 and 2015. It was a win-win for me: The legendary columnist rarely covered the Tommies during my era, so I never had to deal with Mr. Hartman's tempermental moods at any of our press conferences. But I could brag to Facebook friends that I was now one of Sid's close personal friends.
One final statistical deep dive on my career would reveal this trivia: No. 1, I was the first person in conference history to work more than 30 years as an SID in the MIAC; No. 2, when Paul Allen retired last December at Minnesota State, my 35 years of athletics communications work in the Twin Cities moved me atop the tenure list of current SIDs at any Minnesota university. That either qualifies me for a badge of honor... or is a sign that I finally need to take Tom K's advice and have my head examined.

Looking Forward

Barb and I are poised for the next chapter. You'll see us in the stands continuing to support St. Thomas teams. I hope to write blogs and feature stories for the website on occasion, and assist with historian tasks, including the Athletic Hall of Fame process.

I envision any future role here like that of a punter in Glenn Caruso's ball-control offenses: You won't see me in the game very often, but if you need me once or twice a month, I'll deliver.

Our son Peter is now preparing to move into his dorm room for his freshman year at St. Thomas. He hopes to contribute on the Tommie track and field team, just like his sister and brother did here between 2013-2020 as captains and all-region distance runners.

I now get to experience second-grade Peter's perception of SID life. It's only fitting now in retirement, on my couch with a TV remote control, that I can just... sit around all day and watch sports.

I mean, a guy would have to have his head examined to pass up that chance.

--

Gene's Blog is a sports column penned by Tommie sports information director Gene McGivern. Gene just concluded his 29th season at St. Thomas and 35th overall with Twin Cities college athletics teams. He blogs periodically on various topics regarding the Tommies and college sports.

If you have comments or questions, e-mail Gene at genemcgivern58@gmail.com

University of St. Thomas Athletics

Gene's Blog: For 29 years, a good run at a great university

Related Videos