Today's Guest: Former NFL Quarterback, Educator & Social Justice Advocate- Don McPherson

From the days when he commanded a huddle in Central New York, this quarterback set the standard early. As captain of an undefeated Syracuse team in 1987, he rewrote the record book with 22 school marks, led the nation in passing, finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, and collected more than18 national player-of-the-year honors—including the Maxwell Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, and the very first Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He went on to play professionally in both the NFL and CFL, cementing his reputation as one ofthe most accomplished signal callers of his era.

His impact didn’t stop when the cleats came off. In 2000, while serving on the Nassau County Sports Commission, he created the John Mackey Award to honor college football’s top tight end. He became a trusted voice of the game as acollege football analyst for ESPN, NBC, BET, and later as the lead studio analyst for Sportsnet New York. Along the way came lasting recognition: induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and the retirement of his iconic number at Syracuse in 2013.

In recent years, his influence has stretched far beyond the field. He published You Throw Like A Girl in 2019, spotlighting decades of work using sport to confront social issues and prevent gender-based violence. He earned the National Football Foundation’s Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award in 2020 and Syracuse University’s William Pearson Tolley Medal for Distinguished Leadership in Lifelong Learning in 2021, honoring a lifetime of service, leadership, and philanthropy. Follow and like this podcast as well as leave questions in the comments that may be answered on future episodes. Connect with us on our social platforms and website LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletic-career-consulting/ and Instagram as well as X: @athcareerpod. 5 Tips and Tricks: for Careers in Athletics Podcast is a show hosted by Dr. Morey Mossovitz and Jen Albanese. Each episode invites a person in an athletic career and asks them their five best tips and tricks for working in athletics.

Today's Guest- St. Louis Cardinals Business Analytics Analyst - Brian Drew

It started at Syracuse. Four years on the floor as a student manager for the men's basketball team, all while earning a degree in Sport Analytics — graduating in 2022 with a real feel for how the numbers behind the game connect to everything around it.

From there, the work got bigger. A role with Legends at Syracuse University, first as a Data & Analytics Specialist and then stepping up into a manager position — two and a half years spent learning how to turn data into ticket sales, revenue, and smarter marketing.

That foundation opened the next door: a move to the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals as a Business Analytics Analyst, where for the past year the mission has stayed the same — maximizing revenue and sharpening the strategies that fill the seats.

So please welcome to the show, the man who's taken Syracuse hoops to the heart of Major League Baseball.

Follow and like this podcast as well as leave questions in the comments that may be answered on future episodes. Connect with us on our social platforms and website LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletic-career-consulting/ and Instagram as well as X: @athcareerpod. 5 Tips and Tricks: for Careers in Athletics Podcast is a show hosted by Dr. Morey Mossovitz and Jen Albanese. Each episode invites a person in an athletic career and asks them their five best tips and tricks for working in athletics.

Today's Guest: Morey and Jen

Every week we ask our guests for the advice that shaped them. For this special episode, we turned the mics on ourselves. Jen and Morey went back through the archive and pulled their five favorite tips from past guests, not the ones that sound good on a quote graphic, but the ones we actually think about on a Tuesday afternoon when the day's gone sideways. We get into where each piece of advice came from and, more importantly, how it's changed the way we show up at work.

Then we close with a thought we've been sitting on for a while: what we know now that we wish someone had told us early in our careers. No script, no polish, just an honest reflection on the things you only figure out by living them.

Check out this special episode.

Follow and like this podcast as well as leave questions in the comments that may be answered on future episodes. Connect with us on our social platforms and website LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletic-career consulting/ and Instagram as well as X: @athcareerpod. 5 Tips and Tricks: for Careers in Athletics Podcast is a show hosted by Dr. Morey Mossovitz and Jen Albanese. Each episode invites a person in an athletic career and asks them their five best tips and tricks for working in athletics.

Today's Guest: Director of Marketing for Legends Global with the Cleveland BrownsOur guest today earned his bachelor's degrees in publicrelations and political science from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and went on to complete a master's degree in magazine, newspaper and online journalism with an emphasis in sports communications, also from Syracuse.His career has taken him across nonprofit, corporate and agency marketing with stops at organizations including PBS, Gilded Social, Syracuse University and Legends Global bringing a versatile, results-driven approach to every room he's walked into.Most recently, he served as Director of Marketing for SyracuseAthletics, where he led the revenue marketing team driving ticket sales, donor engagement and commercial growth through paid media, email and social.During that same chapter, he was also in the classroom as an adjunct professor at the S.I. Newhouse School, teaching sports media, esports and communications to the next generation of strategic communicators.Follow and like this podcast as well as leave questions in the comments that may be answered on future episodes. Connect with us on our social platforms and website LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletic-career-consulting/ and Instagram as well as X: @athcareerpod. 5 Tips and Tricks: for Careers in Athletics Podcast is a show hosted by Dr. Morey Mossovitz and Jen Albanese. Each episode invites a person in an athletic career and asks them their five best tips and tricks for working in athletics.

Today's Guest: Facility Operations Manager Legends Global at Pitt- Alex Parent

He has spent over a decade making sure the lights stay on, the floors stay clean, and the game goes on — no matter what. He got his start coordinating facilities and operations at one of the most storied programs in college athletics — Syracuse University — where for nearly seven years, he kept the day-to-day humming: scheduling, renovations, fleet management, you name it.

From there, he headed to Buffalo, taking on a bigger role as Assistant AD for Facilities at D'Youville University — helping execute a $3-million facility master plan, standing up a risk management system, and running everything from the weight room to game day concessions.

Next, he spent over three years as a Facilities Manager at the University of Pittsburgh, overseeing nearly a million square feet of property and helping coordinate operations for a brand-new $75-million research building. And today? He's the Facility Operations Manager at Legends Global — running a 3,000-seat arena and sports performance center, managing engineers and custodial teams, and lending a hand at the Peterson Event Center.

From Syracuse to Buffalo to Pittsburgh, this guy has quietly kept some incredible venues running behind the scenes.

Follow and like this podcast as well as leave questions in the comments that may be answered on future episodes. Connect with us on our social platforms and website LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletic-career-consulting/ and Instagram as well as X: @athcareerpod.

5 Tips and Tricks: for Careers in Athletics Podcast is a show hosted by Dr. Morey Mossovitz and Jen Albanese. Each episode invites a person in an athletic career and asks them their five best tips and tricks for working in athletics.

Today's Guest: EPSN Corporate Citizenship Specialist-Caitlyn CohnOur next guest began her sports career as a Marketing Intern for Syracuse Athletics while completing her undergrad at Syracuse University From there, she built her communications foundation working with USA Diving, UMass Amherst Athletics, and the New York Jets — where she went on to represent the NFL on staff at Super Bowl LI.She then joined ESPN, where over seven-plus years she has collaborated across ESPN and The Walt Disney Company to lead national campaigns focused on youth sports, cancer research fundraising, and wish-granting initiatives. Today, as a Specialist in ESPN Corporate Citizenship, she leads communications and social media for social impact work, including ESPN's youth sports movement, Take Back Sports.In 2024, she added an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst to her résumé, and she currently calls Connecticut home.Her love of sports runs deep , forged on countless Sundays cheering on her favorite teams with family, and on long car rides listening to ESPN Radio with her mother, who, for many years, had her convinced that cars were simply incapable of playing music.Follow and like this podcast as well as leave questions in the comments that may be answered on future episodes. Connect with us on our social platforms and website LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletic-career-consulting/ and Instagram as well as X: @athcareerpod. 5 Tips and Tricks: for Careers in Athletics Podcast is a show hosted by Dr. Morey Mossovitz and Jen Albanese. Each episode invites a person in an athletic career and asks them their five best tips and tricks for working in athletics.

Today's Guest: Dir. of Ticket Sales, Premium Sales & Development for Legends at Syracuse Athletics-Troy Pakusch

Growing up in Rochester, NY, this Orange Basketball fan always dreamed of working in sports. After earning a bachelor's degree in Sports Management from SUNY Brockport in 2016, he dove headfirst into the industry through Minor League Baseball.

He spent six years in Augusta, Georgia with the Augusta Green Jackets, starting as an intern and working his way up through the organization to become their Director of Ticket Sales. It was there he built the foundation of a sales career defined by persistence, growth, and a relentless focus on the fan experience.

In March 2022, he brought that expertise home, joining Syracuse University Athletics and the 'Cuse Athletics Fund as a Premium Sales Manager with the Legends Sales & Service team. By May 2023, he had earned a promotion to Manager of Ticket Sales & Development, overseeing a team of Ticket Sales Representatives and Development Associates generating revenue through annual ticket sales and 'CAF memberships.

Today, he serves as the Director of Ticket Sales, Premium Sales & Development for Legends at Syracuse Athletics, living out that lifelong dream in orange and blue. Follow and like this podcast as well as leave questions in the comments that may be answered on future episodes. Connect with us on our social platforms and website LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletic-career-consulting/ and Instagram as well as X: @athcareerpod. 5 Tips and Tricks: for Careers in Athletics Podcast is a show hosted by Dr. Morey Mossovitz and Jen Albanese. Each episode invites a person in an athletic career and asks them their five best tips and tricks for working in athletics.

Today's Guest: Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing at West Texas A&M University-Andrea Doa

From executing on-field promotions with the Lansing Lugnuts to earning degrees from Grand Valley State and Oakland University, tonight's guest built her foundation in the trenches of live sports entertainment. As a Graduate Assistant at Oakland University and a Sponsorship Assistant with Playfly Sports Properties, she sharpened her skills in game presentation, production, and the business of athletics, all while completing her MBA.

Those skills took her to Syracuse University, where as a Marketing Coordinator she became the engine behind Women's Basketball and Men's Lacrosse, calling shows, managing 40+ game day interns, and helping Syracuse Men's Lacrosse maintain its standing as the nation's attendance leader. A member of NACMA, a Women Leaders in Sports On The Rise honoree, and an assistant coach with the Saline Twirlettes ,she is a creative force who makes every fan experience unforgettable.And today, she brings all of that to Canyon, Texas, where as Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing at West Texas A&M University, she leads game day productions across 16 varsity sports, is building out the department's broadcasting and creative arm, and has already driven significant revenue growth since arriving in 2025. Follow and like this podcast as well as leave questions in the comments that may be answered on future episodes. Connect with us on our social platforms and website LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletic-career-consulting/ and Instagram as well as X: @athcareerpod. 5 Tips and Tricks: for Careers in Athletics Podcast is a show hosted by Dr. Morey Mossovitz and Jen Albanese. Each episode invites a person in an athletic career and asks them their five best tips and tricks for working in athletics.