Collected Wisdom - Aaron Sagraves

Collected Wisdom is an interview series featuring insights from small college athletic administrators. Our thanks this week to Aaron Sagraves, Asst. A.D. for External Relations/Communications from Cornerstone University for sharing his time and thoughts.

How did you get started in college athletics?

I started working in college athletics as a student while at Cornerstone. I went to pretty much every one of our Men’s Basketball games at the time and started doing post-game articles and eventually did stats for every home game. Upon graduation, I continued in that role for all sports with Cornerstone and then got my first full-time job at Davenport University a few years later as they started their athletic department and hired a Sports Information Director.

You started your career in the SID role and have worked into more of an External Relations position. How did that transition come about and what are the differences in the positions?

At our level, they all kind of go together right? J My passion has always been a “marketing” role instead of an information one and to see how we can create exposure in many different areas in our hometown has been really fun. Sponsorships, golf outing, business events, alumni relations are something we all need at every level of college athletics and those doors were opened here at Cornerstone with some change over in staffing. Its not that I never did any of those things before that happened, but now it is a part of my job description so it is something that is on my mind a lot more. I truly love being involved in helping us create exposure and bring in revenue to ultimately help our student athletes. We are in a tough spot with so many schools around us that are similar size so we are mostly fighting for the same people but what I have learned its about developing those relationships with the local community and find those who really want to be a part of your culture.

How has your experience as a coach impacted you in your current position?

I love coaching and working with young people. Being able to teach them the game (x’s and o’s) is fun but what is even better is the impact that a coach has on them as a person. I coached high school sports while I was in college and then did some different coaching at the collegiate level at same time of coaching club sports. When I stopped coaching to focus more on family and my job at Davenport, I truly missed it which is why I got back into it this past year. Coaching alongside of my wife and the incredible program she has built has been special and I believe one of the biggest impacts on my current role is to just continue to learn from those around you. Building relationships and learning how to bring people together has helped me with my student workers and colleagues. There are so many different personalities on a team and getting them to buy in and work together for common goals is huge.

You transitioned from a role at Cornerstone to a rival program in Davenport before returning to CU. What was that transition like? Does the rivalry mean anything different having been on both sides?

The transition was difficult the first time because I was coaching women’s basketball and to see all of the recruits and kids/families that I had developed relationships with was hard to “go against” when I went over to Davenport. Then, DU got really good, really fast, so naturally, who doesn’t like to “hate” the good team right? I still stayed in touch with many of the coaches and staff but as I furthered my career at DU, it became more difficult because at that same time, Allison and I were starting a family and timing was just hard to maintain relationships in two different settings. Then going back to Cornerstone from DU was much harder because “Davenport and the success and the culture” was something that I felt like I had a big hand in so to leave that and go right to the rival was hard. I knew it was the right decision for my faith, my family and my career and I have never doubted it since. Being totally transparent here – the two schools think about athletics totally different. At one, it was all about winning, hanging banners, becoming better every single day….where the other is about culture of community with athletics being a small piece of what makes the complete student at a small Christian school. Rivalries are great to have in any context and both value the CU-DU one very highly but now that is pretty much gone because of Davenport’s move to NCAA D2.

You served as the Vice President for NAIA-SIDA from 2014-2017. What were your priorities in that role and how did they impact you at your institution?

Being in a leadership position has been a great experience. The VP role under the direction of President Cindy Potter was awesome! It truly taught me about what goes on within the NAIA as I got to sit in some National Administrative Council and Council of Presidents meetings. One of my main roles was to plan the convention programming for NAIA SIDA in conjunction with CoSIDA Convention and NACDA Convention each summer. Working with different SID’s around the country was awesome to see how they all wanted to help our profession and our membership grow. Now as I have moved into the NAIA-SIDA President seat, its opened my eyes even more to how things work in the NAIA. Sitting in meetings with AD’s, FAR’s, Conference Commissioners and University President’s from around the country is humbling to see their passion for the student athlete. The biggest takeaway, other than seeing how we can ultimately help the student athletes in the NAIA, from those experiences is how can I use what I am learning and bring it back to my campus.

What is your favorite part of your position?

The student athletes and the student workers. Nothing else is even close. Seeing them grow from coming in as a freshman to walking across the stage at graduation and then trying to stay connected to them as much as possible with their family and their real-life job afterwards is incredible. Telling the student athlete story has always been my number one goal in what I do and to be able to share so many over the years (AWAY FROM THE PLAYING SURFACE) has been awesome. Then, the student workers that help me do what I do….I cannot thank them enough. They see my crazy brain at work and somehow still love what they are doing around it! The best part is seeing them come up with an idea, plan and see it through and to see the impact it has on our community and our family at our school. Hopefully I never lose that ability to motivate someone to continue to strive for excellence.

You’ve been very involved in CoSIDA. How has CoSIDA impacted you as a professional in college athletics?

Being involved with CoSIDA has been a blessing since I started in a full-time role in 2007-08. I remember going to my first convention in San Antonio and those conventions in such places at San Fran, Marco Island, St. Louis, Orlando and Dallas, have been incredible. Forming friendships with so many people in the profession from the D1 level to the 2-year schools is something I truly cherish because I feel like I can pick up the phone and call them for advice and help! Being recognized as the Rising Star means a lot because that means that those around me notice some of the things me and ultimately the staff around me have been able to accomplish. I also remember sitting at a luncheon seeing the Board of Directors and wanting to one day serve in that role for our membership and being able to do that from 2014-2017 was a great experience. D1 SID’s don’t do it any different than D3 or NAIA ones and that is something I think gets overlooked.

Who are some of your mentors/people who have encouraged you along your career path?

Oh goodness, this list may take up my word limit but I will focus on a few to keep it short! Matt Fancett – who used to be at Madonna (NAIA) and then on to Michigan – was ultimately the person who showed the belief in me to get me started. He continues to show support in me and I reach out to him still when I have questions about certain aspects of my job! He has become a great friend!

What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?

“Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you”. I am not sure that quote was original or stolen haha. But it has rung true in so many ways in my career over the years. Another one that goes along with it “If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.” Those two things have gone with me as to do our job in college athletics, we have to rely on so many others and I have tried to surround myself who help our department be better. I may not be the best at stats or website management or graphic design….but getting others to help with those areas while allowing them to feel like they have a say in what goes on…has been so critical. A friend of mine told me in maybe my first or second year as a full-time guy at Davenport – make sure and get help – you cannot do this job alone….That has helped me take on this role by utilizing students as much as I can. Yeah do they make some young mistakes or overlook certain things…sure….but what a great opportunity to educate them and have them grow and learn.

What advice do you have for young people looking to start a career in college athletics?

Working in college athletics takes work…its not just something we just fall back on. It takes time to get where you want and to do that, I feel like the most important part is getting involved in many different areas as young as you can. Gaining experience while you are in college and doing “grunt” work will help you down the line. Volunteering your time to help on projects, go on visits, learn about budgets and most importantly, getting to know all who work in a department. What many young people do not realize…its not just the AD in the department. There is compliance, fundraising, alumni relations, marketing, sports information, business, financial, digital media, fan engagement and so much more. Take the time to get to know about all these areas so you can see where your true passion lies. When I ask young people what they want to do and they tell me “work in college athletics” Ok – where, with who, at what level – getting involved early will help those decisions faster and get you where you want to be.

What is the most challenging part of your position?

Time Management and Technology – they go hand in hand. With a family at home – Allison and the boys sometime take a back seat to what I am doing at my position and that is not fair. It should be the other way around…but reality in 2018 where technology is attached to our hip (literally) its not and its taking a toll on how our profession works. Its becoming a high-pressure job each and every day because at a lot of schools, if you don’t put the time in and make sacrifices, they will find someone who will. At our school, that is not the case at all and I am grateful for that. Finding a balance between home life and work life is a challenge I face every day.

What do you do to continue growing professionally?

One of my biggest passions is to continue to grow and continue to learn. Being on the CoSIDA Board and NAIA-SIDA Board has enabled me to meet so many new people that I turn to when I need something and want to learn about something new. Taking part in Continuing Education series whether by web call or in person at conventions is also a huge part of it. Social Media has allowed us to see what others are doing and ask questions, get on twitter chats and learn from some of the best in the business.

How do you balance your personal and professional life?

Ha! See above! J No – really it’s a struggle for me. Not going to lie. Some days I feel like work is the MOST important thing in the world and I don’t want to go home because I know there is so much to do here and who else is going to do it. Then other days, I don’t want to come in because I am having so much fun being home with my wife and kids. It’s a tug of war that I am not sure anyone can master!! If you do, fill me in!! But truly – its something that is on my mind a lot with two young boys at home and a wife who is also involved heavily into athletics as she runs a high school volleyball program as well as being involved in AAU. I try and bring them to work when I can…have them visit during games…have them be a part of what I do! Then also one thing that has changed for me over the years is my computer at home…I really try hard to not open it unless I have to do a game recap or something related to an event happening that moment. That has allowed me to save projects and “time consuming” things for when I am in the office. Yeah, does it make my office life a little harder but that time I have freed up to be with my wife and kids has been special.