Ethan Hulsey

This issue of the Exchange features Ethan Hulsey, director of athletic communications at Millersville.

Q: Where are you from?

A: I grew up in Sardis, Ohio, a very small town on the Ohio River. It’s right in the middle of the Ohio Valley, which used to be known for coal mines, steel mills and industrial plants.

Q: Where did you go to college and what degree did you get?

A: West Liberty State, bachelors in communications.

Q: What are your core responsibilities?

A: I provide media relations for all of Millersville’s 22 intercollegiate athletic teams. My staff also handles press releases, media guides, game programs, management of the athletics website, millersvilleathletics.com, audio and video broadcasts as well as game day management—keeping stats, assisting media, operating scoreboards, music, etc…

Q: How long have you worked with Millersville?

A: This is my third year. I started in July of 2008.

Q: Where did you work before Millersville?

A: I was the assistant sports information director at Mercyhurst College for one year and the graduate assistant in sports information at Shippensburg University for two years before that.

Q: Do you have a favorite sport to play/watch?

A: The reason I chose this as a career is because sports is also my hobby. People in my line of work are stat geeks and interested in the history of the game. Growing up in Ohio, I grew attached to all the Cincinnati teams (Reds and Bengals) and Ohio State sports. I’m very passionate about following those teams. I also loved watching Larry Bird and Reggie Lewis when I was young, so I’ve been a huge Boston Celtics fan since I was very little. I would say that basketball ranks at the top of my list in terms of favorite sports. My dream job was to be a basketball coach or a basketball play-by-play broadcaster on the radio.

Q: Can you talk about the Marauder website?

A: The web site is the face of the athletics department, and in many ways, it’s how people view the University, too. That’s why it was so important to me to create millersvilleathletics.com when I arrived. We needed a site that was fan friendly, interactive, professional and informational. I worked with a company called Sidearm to create it and by October of my first year, it was up and running. I continue to tweak it and add new features all the time.

Our student-athletes dedicate so much time and effort into their sports, and I believe they should be rewarded with as much positive publicity as they deserve. The web site assists in that effort. It also helps our coaches in recruiting, and hopefully it helps our fans feel more connected.

Q: Do you feel sports play an important role at Millersville University?

A: Absolutely. Sports give the students and the community a sense of pride and a way to connect like nothing else can. Why else would you find 3,000 people packing Pucillo Gymnasium on a weekday evening or 6,000 people filling Biemesderfer Stadium for a football game? We all want to feel pride in something, and we can find that pride much more easily in sports than we can in a classroom. It gives alumni a reason to stay involved and an opportunity to return to campus.

Some of the finest students on campus participate in athletics. Our athletic teams attract outstanding students. In each of the last three years, more than 200 of our student-athletes have had a 3.25 GPA. Athletics can even give a student the opportunity to receive an education. Our student-athletes also learn important life lessons and mature through athletics.

Q: Did you play sports when you were younger? Do you play any sports now?

A: I grew up playing baseball and basketball. My dad was a high school basketball coach, so even when I was five years old, I was at practices and sitting on the sidelines at games. He and my grandpa ended up coaching me in both sports. I played both through high school. I’ll play an occasional pick-up game now, but these days, it’s mostly golf. I enjoy hitting the links with Coach Greg Colby, Steve Roach, Peg Kauffman and all the golfers in the athletics department.

Q: Do you attend MU sporting events as a fan, as the director or both?

A: As the director of athletic communications, my first responsibility is to be professional at events. We have a code of conduct that requires impartiality and there is absolutely no cheering allowed in the press area. Because of that, it’s hard to be a fan at times. But even if I’m not shouting or pumping my fist, I’m cheering for our teams to do well inside.

Writing press releases and conducting post game interviews with the media are always more enjoyable when the Marauders win. I enjoy traveling with the teams and calling the away games on the Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network with Domenic Panza because I can be a homer all I want on the radio.

Q: Are you required to attend all games?

A: I or someone from my staff is at every home game and most away games. I would really like to have a presence at all away games but our home schedule can be demanding and it stretches the staff of three pretty thin.

Q: Do you do any voice work at the sporting events?

A: One of the responsibilities with game day management is public address announcing. Most of the time I’ll let my graduate assistants do this to gain experience, but you’ll often hear me announcing starting lineups at baseball, soccer or field hockey games. We are fortunate to have two veteran guys in Drs. Rich Frerichs and Doc Antonnen, who handle football and basketball games.

As a communications major at West Liberty, I was involved in the student radio station. I would broadcast football and basketball games both there and at Shippensburg. My primary responsibilities prevent me from broadcasting home games, but I make a guest appearance during road games from time to time.

Q: If you are not attending a sports event at Millersville what would you be doing?

A: In athletics, our schedules vary from season to season and with so many night and weekend games, I spend the bulk of my time in the office, at an event or traveling on the road. When I do get a free evening or weekend, I try to spend it with my wife, Trista, or make the five hour trip back to Ohio to visit family. Trista and I like stay active, see new sites and visit new places. We attend and try to be active with our church, as well as get together for Bible studies with friends. I also play guitar and just like every guy in his 20s, I like playing Playstation 3.

Q: Since your wife is a cake maker, what is your favorite cake?

A: I actually don’t really care that much for cake. Everyone raves about her cakes and she even made our wedding cake, but I would rather have a piece of pie or a stack of cookies any day. Lucky for me, she’s an all-around great baker.

Q: If you could go to a sporting event anywhere in the world, what sport would it be and what team would it be for?

A: Well, I doubt I’ll ever see the Bengals in the Super Bowl or the Reds in the World Series, so I would chose watching Ohio State in the Rose Bowl or attending the Open Championship (British Open).