By Carmine Frongillo, Lowell SunLOWELL, Mass. -- You won't find his name in any of the scoring summaries he helps produce, but Chris O'Donnell truly is the man for all seasons in UMass Lowell's Athletic Department.
O'Donnell, 39, has been the director of athletic media relations at UMass Lowell since 1999. His primary function is promoting the athletes from all of UMass Lowell's men's and women's varsity teams.
His days are long, with work weeks during the school year often reaching 60 hours. But it is a labor of love.
When O'Donnell isn't hyping River Hawks sports, the Newburyport resident enjoys spending time with his family, wife, Carrie, and sons, Christopher and Brady. A native of Clifton Park, N.Y., he is an avid soccer fan and enjoys playing the guitar.
Q: How long have you been a college sports information director?
A: "I've been working as an SID for 14 years. I left a pretty good salary and benefits job to volunteer at Siena's sports information office. At the time, I was still living at home. I didn't have rent. I didn't have car payments. It was just something I wanted to get into. Everybody thought I was crazy. "You are making good money. You have benefits. What are you doing? My parents, girlfriend, buddies kept asking me, "Do you know what are you getting into?"
Q: How did you go from working as a volunteer at Siena to becoming the director of athletic media relations at UMass Lowell?
A: "While at Siena, I heard about the (Eastern College Athletic Conference Sports Information Directors Association) convention. It was in Gettysburg, and I bummed a ride from the SID at Skidmore, who I knew. I went to it basically to beg for a job. And I got an internship at RIT in the summer of 1994, which was a one-year position. From there, I got hired at Franklin Pierce in the summer of 1995. And then I got the job here in October of 1999."
Q: So was becoming an SID and coming to work at UMass Lowell the right move?
A: "I haven't worked a day in 14 years. My wife would argue with that, but I have not worked a day in 14 years. I get paid to brag about UMass Lowell sports. What's better than that? I have the best job on this campus, as far as I'm concerned."
Q: What are the primary responsibilities of an SID?
A: "To do my best to publicize UMass Lowell athletics. To get us in the paper more. To get us on the radio more. To get us on TV, if that's possible. To get us in Faces in the Crowd in Sports Illustrated, which is hard to do. Ultimately, I want to get our programs and athletes maximum exposure. I'm the stat man for UMass Lowell sports, which, for me, is fun. Over the course of a year, I probably write more than 1,000 press releases. But that's nothing to me. During the academic year, I routinely put in 60-hour weeks. I'm always here on a Saturday. I'm here six, sometimes seven days a week."
Q: Do you think anyone could beat you in a game of UMass Lowell Sports Trivial Pursuit?
A: "I'd do very well. The only person I can think of who could beat me is (Sun sportswriter) Chaz Scoggins."
Q: What type of relationship do you have with UMass Lowell's coaches?
A: "I have wonderful relationships. These are people who I'd be honored for my kids to play for. It really would be an honor for them to coach my kids. I think so highly of all our coaches. I've learned from them. I listen to their talks. I see how they deal with their athletes. We've just got exceptional coaches."
Q: Did you play sports in high school or college?
A: "I was a basketball guy until I got into this business. I played one year in college at Oneonta State. I played my high-school ball at Shenendehowa High School."
Q: Why are you so big into soccer these days?
A: "I've actually developed a love of soccer because every school I've worked at, the level of soccer has just been fantastic. It really hit me during my internship at RIT. Probably my closest friend there was Doug May, the men's soccer coach. I remember just watching his games, and I told him, "Doug, I don't know anything about this game, but I love the way you guys play." So he really took me aside and during games, he'd motion to me at the scorer's table and say, "Watch this play. We're going to get one." And sure enough, they do the play and boom, boom, boom, they'd score a goal."
Q: Are you able to spend much time with your family during the school year?
A: "My biggest challenge is balancing family and the job. Because everything is online now, it makes it a little easier. I put in quite a few hours from home."
Q: Do you have a favorite sports moment during your time at UMass Lowell?
A: "I really couldn't choose just one. I have a few top highlights. Obviously, winning the national championship in field hockey in 2005 was wonderful. Having Nicole Plante win the 10,000 meters was an incredible thing. But most of all, I just count my lucky stars to have had a chance to watch the great athletes who've come through this school perform. Athletes like Ron Hainsey, Elad Inbar, Nicole Plante and Jon Cahill. I would watch them, and their concept of pressure was so much different than other athletes'. They just thrived. They played at a level of competition that very few people reach."