The time on the clock continues to tick as the players scramble to the line of the scrimmage for the final play of the game. Taking the snap, the quarterback scans down field for an open receiver. Feeling the pressure from the relentless defensive line, he scrambles to his right to avoid the sack. Rolling toward the sideline, he spots his receiver breaking free in the corner of the end zone, and he rifles a pass down field as the final second expires.
Almost instantly, people’s phones begin to buzz with social media updates on the heroic Raider comeback. Simultaneously, the game file with statistics and results are finalized and packed as the selected student-athletes, coaches and media are corralled and directed to the media room for a press conference. Then after completing the statistics packets and distributing them to the various coaches and media, it is time for the final two basketball games of the season’s tip-off tournament. These basketball games will only require game music, live statistics, in-game and final statistic packets for the coaches and media, social media updates and much more, not to mention the unexpected problems that always seem to arise at the most inopportune moments.
When the final buzzer sounds and all the fans and players leave, it is Bill Morgal, Shippensburg University’s sports information director (SID), who lingers behind wrapping up the final game files before heading to his office in Old Main for a night full of game recaps that need to be written and posted on the athletics website.
Originally, Morgal aspired to become a teacher. However, after partaking in an in-class internship during high school, he found that teaching was not for him. Then, after earning his associates degree from Howard Community College, Morgal came to SU with the intention of becoming a journalist after writing for the school newspaper at Howard. But when he arrived on campus, he needed to find a job, and that job came in the sports information office operating scoreboards and other game-related duties.
“I needed a job. It was my second day on campus, I asked Jason [Eichelberger] if he needed help, and it was just his third day on the job,” Morgal said.
After graduating from SU in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in communication/journalism with an emphasis on print media and a minor in English, Morgal took the graduate assistant position in the sports information office in the fall of 2008.
In August 2008, Jason Eichelberger, the sports information director at the time, took a position at Stevenson University in Maryland. With little time remaining before the start of the fall season and Morgal the only one remaining in the sports information office, he was appointed the interim SID, which he remained until the spring on 2010.
“I applied and got the job in the spring of 2010,” Morgal said. “I’ve been the SID ever since.”
According to Peter Gigliotti, SU’s executive director for communications and marketing, when it was time hire an SID, the university did a national search for candidates. However, Gigliotti said that Morgal was the standard they used to measure the candidates.
“[Morgal] got the job because he was the best for the job,” Gigliotti said. “[Morgal] is top-notch.”
Gigliotti also said that when it comes to sports, there are a lot of very enthusiastic fans that are really vocal and passionate about their teams. According to Gigliotti, Morgal does an exceptional job of walking the fine line of writing his articles with enough detail for the passionate fans, while avoiding too much detail for those who are not as familiar with the sport.
Morgal credits Eichelberger with preparing him to become the SID: “I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am without Eichelberger,” Morgal said. “He showed me that you need to have a driven work ethic to accomplish what you need.”
Morgal also credits Ethan Hulsey, who was the graduate assistant while Morgal was a student from 2005 to 2007. Hulsey is now the SID at Millersville University.
“You couldn’t learn from two better people,” Morgal said. “They taught me what to do and what not to do. You can’t fall into this profession by accident and do well.”
As the sports information director at SU, Morgal is in charge of covering all 20 intercollegiate athletic teams. Some teams demand more media attention, but all teams require a wealth of attention nonetheless.
In terms of a typical day for Morgal, there is no such thing. Some days there are meetings and sporting events, others there are not. To describe what it is like to be an SID, he used the analogy of a firefighter saying he comes into his office in the morning with several things on fire. He must then determine which things are in dire need of being put out and those are the tasks he tackles first.
“The most important things you do in a day are not necessarily for yourself, they’re for other people,” Morgal said. “I always laugh at 4:30 p.m. when everyone’s going home, because time slows down and I can sort of play catchup.”
Often, putting out fires, attending meetings and writing stories in the office during the day, are simply a warm-up for Morgal as his day is just about to begin with the sporting events slated for that evening. Not only must Morgal work the home events, he must also wait for the conclusion of the away sporting events in order to write a game recap for the website. Even though sleep deprivation is a reoccurring theme as a result of the countless hours he works, Morgal maintains a positive attitude while continuing to produce quality work.
“As a former SID, I have no problem saying this, but we have a tendency to pontificate and take these grandiose positions. [Morgal] doesn’t do this. [Morgal] promotes his university, his athletes, his coaches and his teams,” said Jeff Michaels, SU’s director of athletics. “Professionally, he’s the best in the business.”
When asked what his favorite part being an SID is, Morgal paused for a moment to think. Struggling to pin-point a specific answer, Morgal said, “I enjoy many aspects of my job, such as the student-athletes. You meet so many great people doing what I do. You don’t have a hard time coming to work every day when you’re surrounded by great people.”
In addition to the people he is surrounded by, Morgal said that he enjoys, “being able to tell stories for and about people that normally wouldn’t get the chance. Telling stories about people who are going to make a difference in the world even if it’s not through sports.”
Cracking a smile, Morgal joked and added that he does get paid to cover sports all day: “It’s nice having a front-row seat too. Your view normally isn’t obstructed.”
Serving as the SID for SU, Morgal plays an integral role in SU athletics and has an impact on many people whether they are on or off campus.
“I don’t know if the people at this institution know just how good this guy is and what we would lose if he were not a part of this institution,” Michaels said. “He’s phenomenal.”
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