Like all of you, I bleed Setonia. 74-78 years. Played ball and broadcast wrote about sports. The Center for Sports Media Gala at Chelsea Piers that I attended was the impetus to write this piece about how my years at Seton Hall shaped who I am. As a I get older, the more I realize this and the more I give back. I'm sure you all have this same attachment where the tentacles run deep. I'd like to share it so you can share your own memories. Be True to Your School - our school Seton Hall. Hazard Zet Foward.
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What worked so well for the Beach Boys with the Be True to Your School hit single on the Little Duece Coupe album way back in 1963 still rings true almost 60 years later. There is nothing like the memories and associations of “your school.” For many, it’s their time in high school, for others, it is their college years. I fall into the latter category with my affection for all things Seton Hall. Or what I have come to refer to in later years with the abbreviated monikers – “the Hall” or “Setonia.” That school helped shape who I am and what I became, both personally and professionally. The $3,000 my folks spent each year on my tuition in the mid to late 70s was a tremendous price-to-value relationship. A payoff that’s immeasurable, both in real and psychic income.
Recently I was fortunate to attend a fundraiser gala in NYC at The Lighthouse on Chelsea Piers. The benefactor was the new Center for Sports Media at Seton Hall. Led by the generous gift of $2 Million by fellow WSOU alum and ESPN great Bob Ley, the launch of this new venture is off to a great start. Seton Hall is sometimes accused of doing things small time. That certainly was not the case that evening. ESPN stars were out in force to support their friend Bob Ley and the venture he’s passionate about. Renowned ABC news anchor Robin Roberts was honored with the Lifetime Professional Achievement Award. The event was first-class all the way. It resonated with this alumnus who got my professional start broadcasting Seton Hall sports on the campus radio station WSOU and writing game stories for the Setonian. WSOU was a renowned 10,000-watt FM radio station. These experiences were the building blocks that ultimately led to a successful four-decade career in advertising and communications.
Dr. Joseph Nyre, the dynamic President of Seton Hall, spoke eloquently about the “Power of the place to change destinations and transform lives.” Our college years truly shaped many us as individuals. The place that Seton Hall holds with me has deep tentacles, far beyond my passion for all things Seton Hall hoops. (Well, that does rank high from November through March if truth be told). Seton Hall was my sleeper school choice. Syracuse and Fordham were the others. South Orange just felt right for this late blooming 17-year-old. The campus was small and not overwhelming. A plus, I could live on campus and still be home in two hours. I enrolled not knowing that I was going to forge a lifelong love affair with the school. One that keeps growing stronger as I age.
I matured at Seton Hall. When you come from the quiet town of Milford, CT and you’re thrown in with peers from all across Jersey, the five boroughs of NYC, and surrounding states, I learned to adapt and grow up quickly. I fondly remember professors that sparked an interest in advertising and marketing. Friendships were forged lasting four great years and many decades after. Working side by side with broadcasting pros who became brand names in their own right in the business. Broadcasting Hall hoops and baseball games all across the country was living a dream. Sharing post game drinks at a very young age with then coach Billy Raferty (drinking age was 18 back then) and interviewing the likes of the intimidating John Thompson. Being a part of great Pirate baseball teams that made it to the College World Series in Omaha and churned out MLB professional players – Rick Cerone, Charlie Puleo and Dan Morogiello from Canarsie, Brooklyn. Covering NFL Drafts in NYC or sitting in the press box at the newly opened Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands. What 18-year-old wouldn’t sign up for four years of such experiences? All this happened because of power of the place that is Seton Hall.
What made the Center of Sports Media gala so special for me was watching the students present who are a part of the program. They were literally soaking up the big-time atmosphere of the event. You could see in their eyes a starry wonderment as they were held in rapt attention to advice being doled out by Robin Roberts and other ESPN personalities. Imagining themselves in a similar position somewhere down their career path. The future is all in front of them. As I did, they surely have a strong sense that they’ve chosen the right “place,” to put themselves in position to succeed in whatever venture they pursue. Dr. Nyre, know that the power of the Seton Hall place in our lives was strong that night.
So many of the paths in my life can be traced back to the Seton Hall campus in the hamlet of South Orange. Whether it was the people I met or the person I’ve become, I sometimes wonder how much was determined there.
Thanks, Setonia, for all that you did for me. Hazard Zet Forward.
Be True to Your School
What worked so well for the Beach Boys with the Be True to Your School hit single on the Little Duece Coupe album way back in 1963 still rings true almost 60 years later. There is nothing like the memories and associations of “your school.
What worked so well for the Beach Boys with the Be True to Your School hit single on the Little Duece Coupe album way back in 1963 still rings true almost 60 years later. There is nothing like the memories and associations of “your school.” For many, it’s their time in high school, for others, it is their college years. I fall into the latter category with my affection for all things Seton Hall. Or what I have come to refer to in later years with the abbreviated monikers – “the Hall” or “Setonia.” That school helped shape who I am and what I became, both personally and professionally. The $3,000 my folks spent each year on my tuition in the mid to late 70s was a tremendous price-to-value relationship. A payoff that’s immeasurable, both in real and psychic income.
Recently I was fortunate to attend a fundraiser gala in NYC at The Lighthouse on Chelsea Piers. The benefactor was the new Center for Sports Media at Seton Hall. Led by the generous gift of $2 Million by fellow WSOU alum and ESPN great Bob Ley, the launch of this new venture is off to a great start. Seton Hall is sometimes accused of doing things small time. That certainly was not the case that evening. ESPN stars were out in force to support their friend Bob Ley and the venture he’s passionate about. Renowned ABC news anchor Robin Roberts was honored with the Lifetime Professional Achievement Award. The event was first-class all the way. It resonated with this alumnus who got my professional start broadcasting Seton Hall sports on the campus radio station WSOU and writing game stories for the Setonian. WSOU was a renowned 10,000-watt FM radio station. These experiences were the building blocks that ultimately led to a successful four-decade career in advertising and communications.
Dr. Joseph Nyre, the dynamic President of Seton Hall, spoke eloquently about the “Power of the place to change destinations and transform lives.” Our college years truly shaped many us as individuals. The place that Seton Hall holds with me has deep tentacles, far beyond my passion for all things Seton Hall hoops. (Well, that does rank high from November through March if truth be told). Seton Hall was my sleeper school choice. Syracuse and Fordham were the others. South Orange just felt right for this late blooming 17-year-old. The campus was small and not overwhelming. A plus, I could live on campus and still be home in two hours. I enrolled not knowing that I was going to forge a lifelong love affair with the school. One that keeps growing stronger as I age.
I matured at Seton Hall. When you come from the quiet town of Milford, CT and you’re thrown in with peers from all across Jersey, the five boroughs of NYC, and surrounding states, I learned to adapt and grow up quickly. I fondly remember professors that sparked an interest in advertising and marketing. Friendships were forged lasting four great years and many decades after. Working side by side with broadcasting pros who became brand names in their own right in the business. Broadcasting Hall hoops and baseball games all across the country was living a dream. Sharing post game drinks at a very young age with then coach Billy Raferty (drinking age was 18 back then) and interviewing the likes of the intimidating John Thompson. Being a part of great Pirate baseball teams that made it to the College World Series in Omaha and churned out MLB professional players – Rick Cerone, Charlie Puleo and Dan Morogiello from Canarsie, Brooklyn. Covering NFL Drafts in NYC or sitting in the press box at the newly opened Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands. What 18-year-old wouldn’t sign up for four years of such experiences? All this happened because of power of the place that is Seton Hall.
What made the Center of Sports Media gala so special for me was watching the students present who are a part of the program. They were literally soaking up the big-time atmosphere of the event. You could see in their eyes a starry wonderment as they were held in rapt attention to advice being doled out by Robin Roberts and other ESPN personalities. Imagining themselves in a similar position somewhere down their career path. The future is all in front of them. As I did, they surely have a strong sense that they’ve chosen the right “place,” to put themselves in position to succeed in whatever venture they pursue. Dr. Nyre, know that the power of the Seton Hall place in our lives was strong that night.
So many of the paths in my life can be traced back to the Seton Hall campus in the hamlet of South Orange. Whether it was the people I met or the person I’ve become, I sometimes wonder how much was determined there.
Thanks, Setonia, for all that you did for me. Hazard Zet Forward.
