Winthrop alumnus from the class of 2012, Brandon McGinnis majored in sports management and spent his years at Winthrop working closely with the athletic department.
As a senior in high school, McGinnis had the opportunity to visit Winthrop on Winthrop Day. This campus event happened the same day as the 2008 Big South Men’s Basketball Championship game.
“When Winthrop won, all of the students were outside their dorms celebrating the win,” McGinnis said. “I knew then that this was something I wanted to be a part of and that Winthrop was going to be my home for the next four years.”
As a freshman, McGinnis began to volunteer with the athletic department. By doing this, he was able to learn about the preparation of an event, what it’s like during the game, and what needs to happen after the game.
“Getting that experience at Winthrop helps me relate to those on campus despite me being at a conference office,” McGinnis said.
While working in the athletic department, McGinnis had the opportunity to work closely with department faculty such as Daniel Hopper, Aimee Kline, Jerry Fussell, Jack Frost, Brett Redden and Wes Herring.
“I didn’t really find an interest in marketing, so I moved to the sports information side with Jack Frost, Brett Redden and Wes Herring,” McGinnis said. “They taught me the ins and outs of SID (sports information directors) work which I really enjoyed. They taught me how to write a recap, how to keep stats, and other daily aspects of the communications field.”
In addition to working with the athletic department, McGinnis was an active member of WU Crew. This club’s goal was to encourage students to come to different sporting events, and not just the basketball games.
“I worked closely with the marketing department on setting up tailgates or pregame activities to try and increase student involvement,” McGinnis said. “The success of the Winthrop Men’s Basketball team was one of the main reasons why I attended Winthrop or even heard about Winthrop. There are not too many high schoolers from Northeast Ohio that know anything about Winthrop, but since I saw them win a game during March Madness, I knew all about the school. I instantly was a fan and I wanted to attend as many games as possible, so joining WU Crew was instantly on my radar when I was on campus.”
McGinnis’ favorite memory with the men’s basketball team was experiencing the win of the 2010 Men’s Basketball championship in Conway against Coastal Carolina University.
“Storming someone else’s floor was probably something the Big South did not want, but it was such a huge win, they would have had a tough time holding us back,” McGinnis said. “In that season, my friends and I went to around 20 games that season, so to see it all pay off in the end was an awesome experience.”
“When I found out Winthrop has a sports management program, I was all in. I’ve been a sports fan my entire life and I can’t see myself in any other field. Choosing sports management was an easy decision.”
McGinnis’ advice to students who want to be involved with the athletic department while in college is to gain as much experience as they can even if it is not required by the sports management department.
Aside from his involvement in athletics, McGinnis was a member of the Epsilon Eta chapter of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
“I was initiated in the rechartering class in Spring 2009, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything,” McGinnis said. “I made some lifelong friends that turned into brothers that will be with me every step of my life.”
McGinnis recently began working as the Director of Communications at the Atlantic Coast Conference after working for 6 years as the Director of Public Relations at the Big South Conference.
His job at the Atlantic Coast Conference involves record keeping and notes. His primary sports include women’s soccer, women’s basketball, rowing and baseball.
“After matches, it is my job to update stats and records so our media and fans can keep up-to date,” McGinnis said.
While working at the Big South Conference, McGinnis said it was hard to stay neutral towards the teams since Winthrop was in the conference.
“I think you’ll see me in a lot more garnet and gold moving forward,” McGinnis said. “While I was at the Big South, I only wore Winthrop shirts when I attended non-conference games. Now, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that. I think the Big South folks I’ve made relationships with will understand.”
As an alumni, McGinnis tries to attend as many Winthrop athletic events that he can to support the eagles.
“I will always like to see Winthrop student-athletes succeed not only on the playing field, but also in the classroom and in life,” McGinnis said.
