Jordan O’Grady recently joined the Bellows Free Academy team in the unique role of Assistant Athletic Director. He, along with Dan Marlow, are responsible for all things athletic.
Previously working at Vermont State University as an Admissions Counselor, O’Grady found the position for BFA while scrolling through Indeed with the filter “Athletic Communications”.
“[I] immediately took action, calling anyone and everyone that might have some insight on who to contact about the position,” O’Grady said.
O’Grady’s main responsibilities as Assistant Athletic Director are to schedule bussing, maintain and upkeep the website and social media sites, public address announcements and working the games on campus; among other duties.
“There aren’t really two days that are the same so it’s always fresh and exciting with new opportunities,” O’Grady said.
After receiving an associates degree at the New England Institute of Art in audio production, O’Grady took a hiatus from school, but eventually went back to school at Johnson State College (now part of VSU) for a degree in Sports Management.
He spent a year at Minnesota State University on an exchange program, and eventually received a MAin Sports Management. While at MSU, O’Grady worked as a Graduate Assistant in Athletics Communications.
Along with working as a Graduate Assistant for MSU, O’Grady has spent a lot of his life working, whether as a Bottle Boy in Milton or as a high school football coach.
Through many trials and tribulations, O’Grady is happy to have found BFA.
“It has [been] the best career choice I could’ve made. Jobs like this in the sports world don’t [come] up too often and are highly sought after,” O’Grady said. He added, “It really was a match made in heaven for me and I like to think for Dan [Marlow] and the BFA community.”
O’Grady also expresses his enthusiasm to work with BFA’s athletes.
“If that isn’t the reason you’re into it then it may not be the best fit. It is our job as athletic directors to leverage our athletes into positions that promote success on the field and in the classroom but also, life,” O’Grady said.
Another favorite duty of O’Grady’s is working with and observing the coaches. He says that it’s easy to see how much each coach cares about their respective athletes. With the tenure of years of experience our coaches have, it is easy to see why they’re so respected.
O’Grady is looking forward to learning as much as possible with the guidance and mentorship of Dan Marlow, our full-time Athletic Director.
“Dan is a once and a lifetime type of human. He does everything in his life at the highest standard of how to treat and work with other people. He holds everyone around him accountable but also takes care of you no matter how much or little he knows you,” O’Grady said.
