Bean's Bearings – Final Edition
September 1, 2024
I love music, it's important in my life and brings me great joy. I have always chased concerts, really wanted to see the very best musicians play live – I've been very fortunate. As I face a truly significant transition in my personal life, it seems I keep hearing two songs over and over ion my head; When I Was A Boy I Had a Dream by Jeff Lynne and Old Man by Neil Young. They seem to be speaking directly to me at this time in my life, it's strange.
On August 30
th, I served my final day as Director of Athletics at the University of Southern Maine. After 31 years at the helm and 45 years overall as an employee in the USM Athletic Department, I have passed the torch and officially retired. Making the choice to retire was, without question, the most difficult and gut-wrenching decision of my life. I love USM, the student-athletes, the incredible staff, the good work that is done daily and the relationships that have built over the years. I will be forever grateful and cherish the memories – so many memories and highlights. It is very hard to walk away but I guess it's time.
My family has made incredible sacrifices throughout my career for me to serve as USM's Director of Athletics. It's time for a little payback and the opportunity to spend more time and have more adventures with my wife Robin, and children Spenser, Eva and Jackson. I also need to make some personal changes and take better care of myself: that's been on the back burner for way too long – it's obviously time. And, in late December of this year, I'm going to be a grandfather (for the first time) to a baby boy from my oldest son, Spenser and his wife Meaghan. significant changes coming, it will be interesting for sure.
On September 2
nd, I will assume the position of Commissioner of the Little East Conference, a new challenge and a role that is clearly important in the fast-changing and extremely challenging landscape of higher education and NCAA intercollegiate sports. I'm honored that the nine members of the LEC selected me to serve as their next Commissioner. At 69 years of age, many think I'm a bit touched to take on this new challenge, but my goal and commitment will be to move the Conference forward and strengthen the foundation that is already in place. There are many outstanding people to work with who care deeply about the lives of student-athletes and the enterprise of college athletics.
There are multiple concerns for the future of college athletics: the impact of the Transfer Portal, navigating Name Image and Likeness (NIL), the Transformation Committee and the possible trickle-down effect to Division III, the potential for student-athletes to be legally deemed employees and all that could transpire from that decision, the onslaught and access to legalized gambling, the good, the bad and ugly of social media, fan behavior and a shortage of officials at all levels. Obviously, there are many positive aspects of participation in sports as well, that's why so many of us chose this path as a profession. The lessons learned and important life skills developed are clearly transferable, valuable and contribute to a lifetime of success.
Reflection is truly a part of the "Old Man" that I hear playing in my head. When I arrived at USM as a student-athlete in the fall of 1973, I met some people that became icons, the foundation of USM sports: Richard "Doc" Costello, David "Dusty" Drew, Joey Bouchard, Paula Hodgdon, Pat Gallagher Carlista and John Wood. They quickly became a second family. It was clear that they cared about you as a person, not just as an athlete; I'm proud that we have continued that philosophy. The program was much smaller at the time, recruiting efforts were very limited, playing facilities, other than Hill Gym, were horrible and staff members had multiple coaching, teaching and administrative responsibilities. They were just truly great people who cared deeply; you knew they had your best interest at heart. Dusty was in my wedding in 1988 and I had the honor and incredibly difficult task of speaking at Doc's funeral, a man loved and revered by countless people including myself.
I played baseball for both Joey and Dusty during my four years as a Huskies pitcher, then later coached with Dusty for six years until he retired. I worked directly with Doc in his role as athletic director and then with Paula for two years when she served as interim AD. My experiences helped me to hone my personal skills and dream about possibilities. USM was and is a great place, but I knew it could improve, get stronger, be better and more desirable for student-athletes.
When I Was a Boy I (did) Have a Dream, it was like so many other kids of my generation – or any I guess; to be a major league pitcher. My first love was always baseball but when you top out at about 82 mph on the radar gun, your chances are pretty slim, even if you can win. At home, we'd sit on the porch at night together, like so many people of that time, and listen to the Red Sox on the radio until the mosquitos chased us inside. Later, we'd go to bed and listen to the end of the games on our transistor radios and imagine the action as it was recounted to us by many now-famous broadcasters. While on the diamond, I carried my Al McBean baseball card in the front of my baseball cap for years, I knew it was the closest I would ever get to having one of myself. I loved every minute of the competition, being part of a team, the relationships and experiences that it brought to me. There was nothing like it.
I also had the good fortune to play and coach in the Portland Twilight League for many years when the talent level was incredible; they were all-star teams. And as a pitcher, playing primarily at the Deering Oaks in Portland, it was even more challenging. The best current and former players of the time were playing with fences just 311 feet from home plate in both center and right field; you had to be on your game to survive. It was a great league and pre-dated the Portland Seadogs, so people came out in numbers and sat under the trees to watch the best college players and the older veterans. Like many others who played, I have forgotten most of the games but certainly not the people. Many of my best friendships were developed through baseball and at work.
When I had the chance to come to USM as Sports Information Director in 1983, I jumped at the opportunity. I knew about most sports and had written for a local sports magazine for some time. I had never seen field hockey played and would stand next to Paula Hodgdon during games and try to figure it out; I'm not sure I ever totally did, but I honestly like the sport. It was my distinct pleasure to work with and report to both Doc Costello and Bob Caswell, the University's Public Affairs Officer in the early years. I learned so much from both of these great men, they were mentors for me, and they helped to guide me and shape my life and work. Bob remains a close friend and was one of the true rocks of stability during his USM tenure. He was always the consummate professional, his calm demeanor and sage wisdom was an incredible example for me when I faced difficult issues and situations.
After four years as a student-athlete and 45 as an employee, I leave USM just shy of the gold watch. My time as an Assistant Baseball Coach, Sports Information Director, Assistant Director of Athletics and Director of Athletics (for the past 31+ years) has been a true labor of love. I have thoroughly enjoyed the work and almost everything that has come with it. There have been incredible times, great achievements and significant challenges, but I would not trade it for anything. My career at USM opened the door for so many opportunities to learn, grow and lead on campus and with the NCAA, NADIIIAA, NACDA, the Little East Conference, the New England Hockey Conference and countless community organizations and charitable organizations including the Maine Children's Cancer Program and the Reed Allen Foundation.
It's always dangerous to highlight some staff and not others, so I will refrain. However, during my tenure as Athletic Director, there have been several people who have had lengthy careers, incredible success in their respective areas of expertise, impacted the lives of countless student-athletes and have become the next generation of Husky legends. I had the good fortune and distinct pleasure to be surrounded by some of the very best professionals in the business. I was truly blessed as the leader of the department to have them on staff; there's no question that I would not have made it successfully without them.
My time at USM has been a truly rich and rewarding experience and I am, and will forever be, grateful to so many people that have been part of my personal journey, including countless gifted student-athletes, hard-working and committed coaches and staff members, the 10 Presidents that I served, several outstanding supervisors and the countless alumni and friends that have supported the athletic program financially and in many other ways during my tenure. I'm so proud of what we have accomplished together, USM Athletics is in a better place than it was 31 years ago. I feel confident that student-athletes and staff alike feel respected and valued and are part of a supportive community. The culture is strong and healthy, and relationships truly make a difference.
As I walked out the door of the Costello Sports Complex on Friday (my last official day on the job) my head was swirling and was filled with so many different thoughts and images. It was a bittersweet moment to be sure, with great memories of many special people, incredible team and individual performances, departmental accomplishments, memorable special events and celebrations, construction of new facilities, facility improvements, the addition of many new sports, advocating for majors in Athletic Training and Sport Management and certainly some level of sadness – it's incredibly hard to leave something you love so much.
But true to form for me, I couldn't help thinking about what could have been done and what still needs to happen to get Athletics to the next level. I will continue to work as a volunteer for the University and the Athletic Department as a member of the USM Alumni Engagement Council. Thank you for your support and kindness and for being with me throughout my professional journey; I will always be a Husky!
