April 3, 2001

Lafayette College football player Jim Brown '02 admits to having a real passion for sports, made all the more intense by an internship as an athletic director at a private school in the Bethlehem area.

A history major who wants to go into sports marketing or event management, Brown feels perfectly suited for his internship at Moravian Academy.

There he helps James Tiernan, who is an athletic director as well as a part time visiting instructor of history and education at Lafayette, in the day-to-day tasks of running the athletic program.

"I have a real passion for sports. I'm excited with the things I do and don't get bored," says Brown. "I also like working with people who share the passion. I've played just about every sport and I like the idea of a group of people going for the same goal."

In his 10-hour week, Brown says he is currently building the fall 2001 and winter 2001-02 athletic schedules, sending out contracts to secure dates and places for games with other schools. He enjoys conferring with coaches and athletic directors at Moravian Academy and other schools.

The work encompasses all of Moravian Academy's teams, including boys' lacrosse, girl's soccer and softball and others, at the school's three locations, he says.

"I was surprised at how much I enjoy it," he says. "I thought it would be kind of a hassle, very busy. I was surprised at the skills you have to pick up, like talking with people. There is more communication than I expected."

In addition, Brown says, the internship "proves a lot of things on a resume, that you can handle more than one thing at the same time. I'm doing the internship during school and also juggling football. It says a lot about the individual."

Tiernan, who met Brown through a history class he taught, says he knew from the beginning that Brown was "the kind of kid I wanted in my office."

"He would make a great teacher or a great coach, whatever he wants to be," says Tiernan, who adds that he often gives Brown problem-solving assignments. "He's doing a terrific job, and it's especially good this semester because I had a shoulder operation and have to go out to physical therapy three times a week. So he's the athletic director for a couple of hours."

Brown says the internship "has a great affect on me because it continues to keep me motivated in achieving my goals. I also expect to be able to better prepare myself for a job that involves these skills while continuing to keep a close relationship to sports."