Staff Spotlight: Meet Steve Fink, Department of Athletics

Name: Steve Fink Title: Director of media relations Department: Athletics Background: Native of Aplington, Iowa; bachelor’s degree in marketing, 1982, Northern Iowa University, Cedar Falls; master’s degree in sports administration, 1984, Western Illinois University; internship with Denver Bears AAA minor league baseball team; assistant sports information director, University of Colorado, Boulder; media relations specialist, Denver Zephyrs AAA minor league baseball team; director of media relations, Kansas City Royals major league baseball team; director of media relations, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth; joined USC July 18, succeeding Kerry Tharp; married to the former Charlene Brown of Allison, Iowa; two children, a daughter, 15, and son, 12. Tell us about our job. Primarily my responsibility is to promote USC athletics through the media. That’s a fairly broad area. We also have a marketing area that is more into promotions, advertising and group sales. Our focus is more on media relations, the Web site, the media guides, game programs and game notes, coordinating interview requests, and serving as a spokesperson for the department. We also work all the games, handle game statistics, archive photos, provide historical information, and generate story ideas for the media. It’s an interesting job because every day is different. It sounds like a lot to keep a handle on. It is, because we have 20 sports here. A lot of the focus is on football, but we try to provide the service for all the sports and give them all a fair amount of our effort. We cover the gamut with a staff of seven along with student interns. Everybody is responsible for different sports, but we all try to jump in and help out where we’re needed. We view athletics as kind of the front porch to the University. Our intent is to make that front porch look as good as possible. We want people to be proud of the University and if they are, that helps everybody. Did you play sports in college? I would have loved to, but wasn’t that gifted, though I did play baseball and basketball in high school. What was the appeal of this job, in particular, for you? This school is in the Southeastern Conference, maybe the best conference in the country. I knew there would be a lot of attention directed at USC because it’s the major state school and there aren’t the pro sports in South Carolina that there elsewhere. Also, the opportunity to continue working for Eric Hyman [director of athletics] and Kevin O’Connell [executive senior associate athletics director/external relations] who both came here from TCU was a factor. I really think a great deal of them and the integrity that Eric brings to the job and the things that he stands for. I buy into that and want to be part of that. What do you like about the sports information profession in general? I’ve always been a sports fan and I like being able to get paid to do something I love. Most people have their hobbies, but they’re separate from their real-world job. For me I’ve been able to combine them. I’ve always been around sports and loved it. Sometimes if there’s stress or I’m here late, a 9 to 5 job sounds good, but then I can’t think of one I’d be happy doing. I’ve been in this business for 20 years and haven’t found anything else I’d rather do. Is there one skill or trait that you have do draw on more than any other to get through the day in this line of work? Ultimately it’s a people business. We get into all the notes and stats and we need to be able to write and computer skills have gone through the roof, but it still comes back to people doing things for people and building relationships with people. How do you unwind? I try to get in a little run just about every day if I can. Once I get out there the run clears my head in terms of what I have on tap for that day. What’s been the best part of your career in sports information? Probably getting the chance to travel and see places I wasn’t able to see when I was younger and growing up in Iowa. My folks were divorced at an early age and my Mom raised three kids on a teacher’s salary. There wasn’t much money for us to travel. This field has given me a chance to go a lot of places and do a lot of things that a lot of people don’t get a chance to do. What’s your secret to success in your line of work? You need a great wife who understands the hours you have to work. She keeps the family together and makes sure the kids are getting where they need to go, because even on a typical day I won’t get home until 7 or 7:30. 11/05