Sports Information Director shares how he manages teams from behind the scenes
Spring sports are in full swing at Tyler Junior College. Student-athletes practice, play, travel, take care of their academics, and do their best to continue sports at the next level. In the moment of the game, there is intense action, celebrations, disappointments, and the shedding of blood, sweat and tears. But what goes on behind the scenes? Who schedules the game? Who makes sure the team bus gets them to their destination? Players’ and coaches’ lodging and meals must be taken care of, as well. And the website, someone must upload the rosters, schedules and sports news?
Meet Jon Groth, the sports information director at TJC. A jack of all trades and master of many, Groth is a former TJC baseball head coach and former. He runs the sports information department, assists the athletic director with daily tasks and does the live broadcast commentary for the Apache baseball team.
Groth was born in Minnesota and raised in northeast Ohio. He played baseball and received his bachelor’s degree at the University of New Orleans. After that, he had a two-year stint with the Cincinnati Reds organization as a professional baseball player. Groth then continued to further his education at Texas A&M where he was an assistant baseball coach while completing his Doctorate in Philosophy in Kinesiology.
“At that point, we had two children, and the third on the way. And I got a wind from one of the other assistants at Texas A&M. He says, ‘Hey, they’re starting a junior college program up at Tyler.’ And I said, ‘Where’s Tyler?’ I had never been here. And I had no idea what was here and found out about the job and it was a really good interview, they had 100 people apply. They interviewed 12 people, and the Lord in His providence would allow me to get that job to start it from scratch,” Groth said.
Groth has helped shape and build the TJC athletic program to what it is now. TJC is home to 68 National Championship titles. Like most legendary coaches and upper-level management personnel who find success in sports, he started as a non-paid volunteer.
“Before I got a dime to coach, I volunteered at the University of New Orleans for a year, off to Georgia Southern for two years as a graduate assistant where I got paid $5,000 for nine months’ worth of teaching, and I volunteered as a coach,” Groth said. “And then I went to A&M, and I was getting paid as an assistant lecturer teaching 12 one-hour PE classes a semester, and volunteering as a baseball coach. So, for six years, I kind of paid my dues, if you will.”
As the coach of the Apache baseball team, he led the program to victory in the NJCAA Division III championship in 2007. But the fruits of success came well after planting those seeds of faith 15 years prior.
“We started the program from scratch in 1992. TJC baseball was me and a phone. That was what it was, I had no assistant coaches, no baseballs, no uniforms, no schedule, nothing. And so, I set up shop next door, I lived in Vaughan Hall for a month in the dorms,” Groth said.
That championship win has been one of Groth’s most memorable moments. That year, TJC hosted its first NJCAA Division III World Series. The fans from Tyler came out to support and “everyone jumped on the bandwagon, it was so fun,” Groth said.
Not only was that championship season a success, but also the hiring of his former player Doug Wren two years later. Wren has since then led the Apache baseball team to five more national championship titles. Groth is proud of all the Apache athletic staff and credits them for the instrumental part they play in molding the next generation of student-athletes.
“We want to be very competitive and win championships. But also, we want to be difference makers and agents of change in the lives of our players. And I think that’s program-wide,” Groth said. “I mean, you look at any of these coaches, they care deeply about the well-being of their players, and they want to get them on to the next level. They want them to become better women, better men, even more than better athletes.”
Sports information directors have important duties for colleges at any level. The daily tasks include interviewing coaches, updating bios, notes and statistics for all sports. According to JobsInSports.com, “Statistical data collection and organization is a major part of the job description.” For students looking to get involved in a sports information or administrator role, Groth suggests “helping out with game administration, setting up games, tearing down, putting equipment away, setting up cameras” anything that can give you hands-on experience and mentorship from someone who knows the industry.
Although Groth humbly shares the credit and is quick to point to others and highlight their achievements, it is hard not to say Apache Athletics would not be as successful as it is today if it was not for his guidance.
