In 2024-25, Philip LaBella is in his 27th year at Lafayette and seventh as the Director of Athletic Communications, a position to which he was promoted in July of 2018.Â
Prior to the promotion, he spent 15 years as the sports information director at the College. LaBella arrived on College Hill in October of 1998 and began a three-year term as the publications coordinator and spent two years as the sports information coordinator.
LaBella directs the planning, implementation and supervising of communications programs across all 23 intercollegiate sports. He plays a key role in the hiring of all departmental staff (full-time, part-time, game day staff and photographers) while supervising all traditional "sports information" (archiving, statistics, photography) and public relations duties.
Football and softball are LaBella's primary sports, but he oversees all athletic publicity efforts. In 2014-15, LaBella's football game program was presented with "Best in the Nation" status from COSIDA in the single-sport category. The publication was produced for the 150th Lafayette-Lehigh football game played in front of a capacity crowd at Yankee Stadium.
LaBella's first year at Lafayette was highlighted by two trips to the NCAA Tournament, one by the men's basketball team for the first time in 42 years, and the other by the men's soccer team.
Prior to coming to Lafayette, LaBella worked as an intern in the University of Cincinnati's sports information office where he was responsible for publicity of its nationally-ranked women's soccer team and six other Olympic sports.
In May 1998, LaBella graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication at St. Bonaventure University. While at St. Bonaventure, he spent four years working in the athletic communications office. In his final two years, LaBella worked as the Student Assistant Sports Information Director, a job that placed him in charge of publicity for the women's basketball team and allowed him the opportunity to travel with the squad. LaBella also split time writing for The Bradford Era, a local daily newspaper and The Bona Venture, the campus newspaper.
LaBella completed his master's of education degree in Sport and Recreation Administration at Temple University in 2008.
Professionally, LaBella is a member of College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). He has volunteered at several national sporting events on the media relations side, working at the U.S. Senior Open in Bethlehem, Pa., the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional in Syracuse, N.Y. and at the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Mid-East Regional in Cincinnati.
He and his wife, Julie, both originally hail from Eldred, Pa. and currently reside in Stockertown, Pa. Julie is the Vice President of Regulatory and External Affairs at Talen Energy in Allentown, Pa. The couple has a daughter, Maggie, and a son, Philip.
Updated 8/24
