First and 10: Michael Mudd, Worcester State University Director of Athletics

By Jennifer Toland

Telegram & Gazette Staff

Packed boxes are piling up in the hallways of Worcester State’s athletics modular building, and director of athletics Michael Mudd has taken down most of the pictures that hung on the walls of his temporary office. Mudd and his staff are highly anticipating their move to the university’s new Athletics Wellness Center, which should happen at the end of this month.

Mudd, who previously served as president of the AHL’s Worcester Sharks, was hired by Worcester State a few months before groundbreaking on the $45 million project and, among his other duties and along with Worcester State deputy director of athletics John Meany, has overseen construction of the building over the last two years. The Athletics Wellness Center will include three exercise rooms, a multipurpose gym, a competition gym, batting cages, instructional and community space, a lounge and many other amenities. Worcester State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams haven’t played a true home game since the old gym was demolished in 2013, so the Lancers are looking forward to the 2016-17 openers.

Mudd, a 1990 graduate of St. Lawrence University who earned his master’s degree in sports management from Miami (Ohio) University in 1994, lived one of his career dreams by working for 18 years in professional hockey as a minor league executive. He was the Worcester Sharks’ president from 2010-13 and in 2011 was named AHL Executive of the Year.

Now he is fulfilling his other dream as a college athletic director.

Mudd is confident about the continued growth of Worcester State athletics. The university recently hired a full-time fitness center manager and is in the process of hiring an intramurals director.

Mudd is an active participant with several local Central Mass. organizations, and he and his wife, Holly, have embraced the Worcester-area community. They are raising their three children, 14-year-old Tyler, who will be a freshman at St. John’s High, 12-year-old Ashley and 9-year-old Connor in Shrewsbury.

1. Is there an opening date for the Athletics Wellness Center?

"It’s still not official. I think it will be within the month, but as you can imagine, there are a lot of variables that come into play. I can tell you I’ve got in there a few times, and it looks beautiful. Our (fall) student-athletes return August 15. We’re definitely expecting by that time we’ll be in the new building."

2. It’s been such a big project. How much are you looking forward to the finished product?

"It’s been a labor of love. The project started a little before I got here. When I got hired, it was literally after pen was put to paper on what was going to be constructed. For the last year, John Meany has spent 100 percent of his time on the Athletics Wellness Center. I’ve probably spent 50-70 percent of my time on the Athletics Wellness Center. It’s everything from developing a handbook to hiring employees to what color the bleachers should be. There’s just so much that goes into it. It’s been a phenomenal experience for me to go through it, to see all that goes on with building a building, but, yeah, we’re ready. We’re ready for it."

3. How much excitement has the new building generated on campus?

"Tremendous excitement. From a varsity sports standpoint, no doubt our coaches and athletes are excited to have just an unbelievable indoor facility. I really feel our facility, when this is completed, that we are on par, if not ahead of, a lot of our fellow institutions that we participate against. Without a doubt, I commend our coaches for being able to recruit student-athletes to come to WSU without having a gym for the past three-plus years. At the same time, I really compliment the student-athletes who have dealt with the adversity of playing home basketball games at away buildings. They’ve been low maintenance about it. We give a special thank you to all the local colleges and several high schools for allowing us to use their facilities as a stop gap. It demonstrates how Worcester is a special place in helping its constituents out when they are in a time of need. As I am always quick to point out, the genesis of this building is really more for the campus as a whole. While it’s going to positively impact our varsity athletic teams, it’s really for the casual student who wants to be active, who wants to be recreational. Our intramural programs, our wellness programs have been substandard of where we should be for a school of this magnitude. So this is going to allow us to have a much more robust intramural program and fitness and wellness program for our students, our faculty, our alumni, etc. Our intramural coordinator and our fitness center manager will create great programs for our students. The end game is we want our students to stay on campus. For long time, Worcester State was a commuter-based school. Now, I think 40 percent of our students are residential and even the commuters we want to keep them here longer, experiencing all the great things going on on campus and engaged with university. We want them to become Lancers for Life. Studies have proven if you keep them on campus and coming to sporting events and intramural events they’re going to have a better experience as a student and become a Lancer for Life."

4. Was the growth of the Worcester State athletics department, or the potential for growth, one of the things that attracted you to the position?

"No question. I worked in pro hockey for 18 years. It was a great run. I very much enjoyed it. One of the greatest things I enjoyed of that job was every year come spring time I would have sport management majors could call me, or interns would call me to talk about the sports industry. Interacting with the college-age person, I love that age group. They’re a little more mature. They have dreams and aspirations, and I love to talk about athletics and the craft and the good and the bad of it, and that kind of got the wheels spinning a little bit that I’d love to get back on a college campus someday. I loved my time in pro hockey with the Sharks, loved coming to Worcester. It was just an unbelievable opportunity when the Worcester State job presented itself to me. I saw all the great things going on here. President Barry Maloney has come in, and he’s really an advocate for athletics and how important it is to the mission of a student and the experience on campus. Vice president of student affairs Julie Kazarian and vice president/CEO Kathy Eichelroth have been a great influence on me, and I think they have the same vision that I do. They value the importance of what sports can provide to the community."

5. How was the transition for you from professional sports to college athletics?

"There was definitely a transition. Fifty percent of the job is like riding a bike — sports administration is sports administration — but there was a learning curve. I’ve had the good grace that John Meany and (associate AD) Karen Tessmer and (assistant AD) Dave Lindberg have been here a while, and I lean on them. I know what I know, and I know what I don’t know. I’m not afraid to ask questions. I’m not afraid to admit that I don’t know the answer. When I took the job, Barry told me it’s going to take you a year to feel comfortable if not two years, and I definitely felt a lot more comfortable in year two than I did in year one. Entering year three now, I feel really good about what we’re doing, and I enjoy coming to work every day."

6. Were you happy to see Worcester get a new pro hockey team (Worcester Railers of the ECHL)?

"Extremely happy. I was involved in some of the behind-the-scenes work for that. The owner, Cliff Rucker, called me back in fall. I guess I semi-consulted for them a little bit, just knowing the history of hockey here in Worcester. Nobody is a bigger advocate for pro hockey returning to Worcester (than me). It’s a city on the move. My wife, Holly, and I came to Worcester 10 years ago never expecting to stay here. Now, we never want to leave, which is another reason this job is so exciting. With the Sharks going to California, that was unfortunate for the city to lose. I think Worcester is really fortunate to have Cliff and (Railers president) Mike Myers (who also worked for the Worcester Sharks) at the helm. With all the great things going on downtown, I think it’s imperative the city has an anchor tenant at the DCU Center. (DCU general manager) Sandy Dunn has done some great things with the building; it would have been a shame to be without hockey. No one is waving the flag more for pro hockey in Worcester than me. It’s also exciting with this new hockey arena coming along in the Canal District. It’s exciting times. I’ll be at (the Railers') opening night for sure."

7. What is it about Worcester and the area that has made you embrace it?

"When my wife and I graduated from college and got engaged, we always envisioned living near Boston. What I love about Worcester is it’s a big small city. The people are so loyal and so helpful. When I was president of the Sharks, I was a member of the executive board of the chamber of commerce, and I just love how people rally around common causes and support each other. You’re near so many neat things. The ocean, the mountains are only an hour away. My wife’s family has a summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, and being two hours away, she very much likes that as do I. We love it here."

8. Are your kids into sports?

"Tyler plays hockey and baseball at a high level. My daughter, lacrosse and soccer. My little guy is also hockey, baseball and a high level. So if I’m not at Worcester State, which I often am, I’m with one of them at their sporting events, and there is probably nothing more I enjoy. I love watching Worcester State, I loved watching the Sharks when they were playing, but I’m a proud dad. I love to go watch my kids play."

9. Are they Lancer fans?

"They are, but it’s been hard to be here because there’s been nowhere for them to hang. They ask me every day, ‘When is that place opening?’ because they’re going to be gym rats. In the summers they will probably be there all day, come to work with me, hit batting cages, throw the weights around. And their schedules are busy, too. With the Sharks, they used to be around all the time. It’s kind of neat here, the senior staff, we all have kids who are around the same age. I like the family environment. I love when people bring their kids around."

10. There was talk of another men’s Midnight Madness game between Worcester State and Clark this season (the teams opened 2015-16 at midnight at Clark). Will that be the first event in the Athletics Wellness Center?

"The first event may be a volleyball match, but the plan is to have ‘Midnight Madness 2’ against our friends over at Clark. I was able to witness that last year and it was amazing. The plan is on hosting Midnight Madness, which will be unbelievable for sure. That will be the first basketball game in the building. We’re going to blow it out and market it and try to do it right and have a great event. I credit Barry and Julie and Kathy for agreeing. They were like, ‘Let’s do it.’ Any athletic administrator will tell you if you get the support from the top that makes your job so much easier."