Every day the title of Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing for Monmouth Athletics sends the ball into Eddy Occhipinti’s court.
Originally a student enrolled at Monmouth in 2002, Occhipinti graduated with a degree in communication with concentrations in public relations and journalism, as well as television and radio. Upon graduation, Occhipinti was hired in 2006 as an Athletics Communications Assistant in the Communications office at Monmouth University.
“I interviewed for jobs at ESPN and CBS, but I didn’t want to leave MU. I wanted to further my education and pursue a Master’s degree, which I received in 2009, while working for the Athletics Department,” said Occhipinti.
While managing his role of Athletics Communications Assistant, Occhipinti worked on pursuing his Master’s degree in communication. Around the same time that he achieved his goal of obtaining his highest degree, Occhipinti was promoted to the Assistant Director of Athletics Communications. The Athletic Department kept him under that title until the 2010-2011 school year when he was once again moved.
“For the 2011-12 school year, I was into the role of Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing, where I have served since. I take pride in the fact, and am very fortunate, that I was able to work my way up while staying at Monmouth,” said Occhipinti.
Despite being a communication major initially, Occhipinti found himself in the new waters of marketing with his most recent job. “Monmouth made the decision for me to venture into marketing, and it has been great,” he continued. “I have been learning new stuff every year and I really enjoy what I do.”
Despite being in his current position for about two years, Occhipinti says that there is no such thing as a consistent daily routine. “The best part about working in college athletics is that ‘a typical day’ doesn’t exist. Some days start very early and go very late, other days are dedicated to traveling and others include a bit of everything. This isn’t a nine to five job, and I love that part about it. Our schedule will change depending if we have a game, or how many games we have in a given day, and if we are traveling or not,” Occhipinti stated.
Managing a non-typical routine is not the only thing that Occhipinti faces in his daily line-up. It “involves a few different elements” as Occhipinti put it. For instance, in his current role, he must help increase spectator attendance at home athletic events as well as increase general interest in the Hawks’ sport teams. His office is also responsible for the promotions of home games, which is something that Occhipinti takes very seriously. “We don’t ever want our home athletics events to not be fun and involved,” Occhipinti said.
On top of all the tasks Occhipinti already has ascribed to him, he holds another unique role in his arsenal. “The other major part of my job is that I am proud to call myself ‘The Voice of the Hawks.’ I broadcast all of our football and men’s basketball games, as well as many men’s and women’s soccer, baseball and lacrosse games as well. We broadcast on a variety of mediums, from commercial radio to our Hawk Vision through www.GoMUHawks.com,” Occhipinti stated.
Occhipinti’s team of radio co-hosts include award-winning broadcaster and instructor of communication Matthew Harmon, former MU basketball player Steve Bazaz, and Athletics Communications Assistant Gary Kowal. Along with airing the game, the broadcast team performs play-by-play reports and sports analyses on the covered events in a manner so flawless that Occhipinti refers to the group as the “best broadcast team I have ever worked with.”
“I joke with people that my day job is marketing and advertising, but the most fun I have at work is when I get to put the headsets on and broadcast a game,” Occhipinti said. “The most challenging element to my job is keeping people engaged with MU Athletics throughout the year and constantly working to improve our home attendance. Our goal is for every game at home to be at capacity.”
While Occhipinti is clearly very busy with his title and involvement with Monmouth Athletics, he notes that the amount of positivity and joys that he’s experienced has been definitely notable.
“There have been so many great memories I have had at Monmouth, from both my time as a student and an employee,” Occhipinti stated.
Of course there will always be a handful of moments that have proven most notable to Occhipinti. “The one that stands out the most is being able broadcast multiple games in the NCAA Tournament with our men’s basketball team, and also to have been able to broadcast Mile Austin’s games as a Hawk,” he continued.
“Truthfully, the best part of what I do is being able to call myself part of the Monmouth University community and get to work with the best staff in the world with the Athletics Department.”
However, throughout all of his experiences at the University, Occhipinti hopes that by the time he departs from Monmouth he is able to make a difference in the audience’s home game and broadcast experience; mostly though Occhipinti is simply honored to be a part of the team. “I am proud to be a part of MU because of what the school stands for, the opportunities it gave to me and the great people I have been able to meet while here, both as a student and an employee,” Occhipinti said.
