Journeys with Jocelyn - Marcus Blossom

By Jocelyn Gates, Vice President at TurnkeyZRG

Marcus Blossom is one of the hardest working people in the business of college athletics. He makes sure the environment he works in is fun, and that everyone keeps the most important thing at the forefront – the student-athlete!

He is in his 3rd year as the AD at Creighton. Prior to that, he was the AD at Holy Cross and Sr. Associate AD at Boston College. He also spent time at Providence College and the NCAA.

Marcus was a basketball student-athlete at Northeastern University, received his Masters from West Virginia, and MBA from Rhode Island.

Marcus is married to Karli, and they have two beautiful daughters, Maya and Mora.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Marcus at both the NCAA and at Boston College. I have learned so much from him and still turn to him often for advice on how to navigate college athletics. I’m thankful to know Marcus, and excited for all of you to get to know him a bit more!

Why did you get into college athletics?

I had a valuable experience as a men’s basketball student-athlete at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. I learned a ton from my classroom, athletic and social experiences. It was truly developmental. Those formative years helped shape my decision to get into college athletics. I wanted to help provide an even better experience to student-athletes that came many years after me.

I did not start my postgraduate career in college athletics, however. I worked for nearly three years in the corporate world before switching gears. I enjoyed what I was doing to a certain degree, but remember feeling unfulfilled, like I wasn’t living my true purpose, professionally. So, during those years I spent much time discerning what is best for me. Then, I decided that helping to provide students with a great collegiate athletic experience, one filled with great achievements athletically and academically while preparing them for a purpose-filled life after college, would be a career that brings me true joy. So, I made the switch then, but also routinely self-evaluate to make sure I’m living my professional mission.

As an administrator, did you face any barriers as you were growing in the business? If so – how did you work through those?

Yes, I faced many barriers. I found one of the greatest barriers is the barrier to entering the business. It was very competitive to get my first opportunity, especially since I started out in a different career. But I stayed persistent, and of course, received some help along the way.

There were also many barriers to advancing through the industry. One of those challenges is the fact that there are a lot of talented, driven and committed individuals that want the same thing you want. So, it’s important to compete by always putting your best foot forward at every stop along the way. Additionally, an athletic director or senior administrator requires experience and an understanding of a lot of different issues and areas of expertise. However, athletic administrators usually start their growth in the business in one specific discipline such as development, compliance, marketing, business, academics, etc. I found it very important to do a great job and to become a respected authority in my particular discipline (business) while also getting valuable experience or oversight in other areas. It’s important to note that you may have to embrace responsibilities that you may not deem fun, or they could be areas of oversight that others may not want. You may also have to move to obtain those additional responsibilities or to rise to a senior role in your main area of responsibility. But these steps are all part of the process needed for many and you must fully embrace those steps if it’s important for you to get to the next level in your career.

We all know the saying “it takes a village”. Can you tell us about the importance of your village in college athletics?

I think it’s important to learn from other leaders you’ve worked under, worked with, or have grown through the business with. It is also possible to learn from those staff members you may even sit above from a hierarchical, organizational chart perspective. I also occasionally lean on my network or “village” for their point of view on certain issues. I also review the outcomes of decisions made by many with the hope of learning any lesson I can. These jobs can be hard, and you may not have the answer to a particular problem. So, it is always good to have the ability to lean on other resources to aide in a decision or simply to talk about the industry in general. My support system also consists of my family. They have been incredibly supportive of me throughout my journey, and I think that is extremely vital to having any sustained success in this industry or any other industry.

What is your proudest moment, so far, since working in college athletics?

Well, there have been many proud moments, so I can’t just name one. I will tell you that I’m most proud when a student-athlete, staff member, or team reaches a goal they’ve worked so hard to achieve. Those proud moments consist of a student-athlete finally earning playing time, another student-athlete earning that high grade they worked so hard to get, a team finally winning that conference championship or a staff member or friend getting promoted. And all of these-types of accomplishments, are a result of these individuals or groups going the extra mile to achieve tremendous results.

What advice do you have for young administrators trying to break into college athletics?

I have tons of suggestions, but each person’s background is different. Thus, what they can or are willing to do to break into college athletics may be different as well. Some young administrators may be fortunate enough to volunteer or take low-compensated internships to start because they have other means of financial support. Others may not be as fortunate. I happened to have savings from my corporate job that allowed me to go back to graduate school before taking one of those internships to get into the door. But even then, it was still tough financially early on. With that being said, I do have some advice that I think would pertain to almost every young administrator:

• Believe in yourself and surround yourself with others that believe in you. I also find it important to have faith in God because you will need a higher power to lean on throughout your career.

• Hard work doesn’t guarantee success, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. So, I would try and be the hardest worker.

• You will be met with disappointment and failure many times trying to get into the business and navigating through the business. Don’t let this disappointment discourage you from pressing forward if being in this business is something you truly desire.

• Lastly, once you get into the business, put a timeline on your goals. Allow your set timeline to guide you but not to rush you. And you may have to occasionally change your timeline and that is okay because it’s crucial to enjoy journey! Also, remember progression isn’t always linear. Sometimes you may have to take a lateral step or even a step that may “appear” backwards in a sense in order to move forward.

Get to know you

Favorite food?

I like everything! And that’s a problem! lol

Favorite song?

Like food, I enjoy a variety of genres of music and artists.

Favorite thing to do outside of work?

Going to my kids’ activities/games (basketball, soccer, swimming, music, etc.)

Best professional opportunity you have taken part of?

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in an NCAA training titled “Achieving Communication Excellence.” I don’t think this program still exists, but I found it to be very valuable.