Mike Cragg, '86
Assistant Athletic Director; Director, Basketball Legacy Fund
Duke University
Durham, N.C.
Degree: B.A. in Communications
Home Town: Born in Burlingame, Calif.; raised in Yakima, Wash.
High school: Eisenhower High School, Yakima
Far away from the UW campus, Duke University Assistant Athletic Director Mike Cragg stays connected by helping Huskies online. In this quick chalk talk, he shares his Career Connections stories and his game plan for success on the job.
Where did you live while at the UW?
I lived in Sigma Pi fraternity for my final three years after some friends and I from McCarty Hall started the fraternity. We were approached by the national fraternity recruiters while we were playing IMA football. The guys from the fraternity are still my best friends, and we get together at least every year - usually around a Husky football game. The fraternity didn't last as long, though; I think it was on campus about six years altogether.
Why did you go to the UW?
I wanted to get the best education possible. I applied to the UW, UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara. At the time, my dad was an assistant football coach at Yakima Valley College, and I used to keep stats for the games when I was in high school. The head coach wrote a letter on my behalf to Don James, who forwarded it to the sports information director, and they offered me a job as a sports information student assistant. So that sealed my decision to go to the UW, which is where I hoped to go all along.
How did you get started at your current field?
I worked in the Athletic Department all four years at the UW. I started off by keeping stats at Washington junior varsity football games, then eventually did media relations for soccer and baseball, and traveled with the baseball team as well.
After I graduated, I took a media relations internship with the Pac-10 Conference in Walnut Creek, California. As part of that job, I got to work the Rose Bowl, and the first Pac-10 basketball tournament.
After that, I applied for a job at Duke as assistant sports information director. At the time, I'd only visited North Carolina briefly; all my family was in Oregon and Washington. But I got the job, so I moved there at 22 knowing no one. I drove across the country on I-40 in my Chevy S-10 with my mom. After three years, I was promoted to sports information director, and 10 years after that I became assistant athletic director and director of the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund. Time has really flown; I feel like I started here just yesterday and it has been nearly 18 years.
What are some of your responsibilities?
As the sports information director, I was in charge of publicity, media relations and publications for Duke's 26 intercollegiate sports, and also handled day-to-day operations for men's basketball, including budget and scheduling. Right now, with the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund, we're attempting to do something no school has ever done, which is to fully endow the entire basketball program. We've established several affiliated programs, including a venture capital investment fund, a leadership and ethics conference with our Fuqua School of Business, an all-star charity event, and a fantasy basketball camp, called the K Academy. I'm also responsible for heading up the facilities improvement of our sports complex, which includes Cameron Indoor Stadium, a $20 million athletic center and a potential new basketball training facility.
What do you find most challenging about your work?
Finding enough hours in the day. Also, always needing to be "on" - that's challenging when you get the late-night phone calls or the all-day meetings. I love it, though - I really don't know any other way. One of the best parts is working with and being around the student athletes. Watching them grow and mature into great men and women is very rewarding. I also enjoy the personal relationships I've built with people around Duke - this is a fantastic place. It's a very unique program, and being with Coach K (men's head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski) for the past 17 years is like a dream come true. I've always said if I start feeling like it's a "job," I should find a different profession. This is like being around your family every day.
Has networking been an important element in your own career development?
Absolutely. The relationships you build are a vital part of everything you do, whether it's building your own team, or learning from others, and hopefully I can provide that to someone else. Whether it's in preparing budgets or going out to raise funds, the personal relationships you build are the most important. You have to have great networking, communication, and interpersonal skills. People rely too much on technology; there's nothing like being with somebody face to face. Technology is great and useful, but be aware that it's not the be-all-end-all.
Why do you volunteer as a Career Connections contact?
Because I believe in the UW. It helped me get started in life, and it's a place I have a passion for. If there's any small part I can play to help someone who shares that common bond, then I want to do that. It's hard being so far from the campus, and so I think Career Connections helps me stay connected as well.
Are there any Career Connections experiences that stand out in your mind?
I've had several. Right now there's a UW grad living in Raleigh working for the Jimmy Foundation who read my bio, saw I was a Washington grad and contacted me for career information. I was thrilled to get together with him and help. I was also fortunate a few years back to hire a Husky grad as my intern in the Duke SID office. He's now back at the UW working in fund-raising, so hopefully I've helped shape his development along the way.
What would you tell new users about Career Connections?
That I wish people would call more! I think people might assume that contacts are too busy or that too many other people are calling, but the fact is that I signed up for this because I want to help.
Is there a certain bit of advice that you find yourself offering to students and alumni contacting you through Career Connections?
Follow your passion, and get involved. Generally, you're not going to get rich working in college athletics; you have to have a passion for it. But if you do have that passion, then make a call, find someone in the athletic department and say you want to help out. Get a foot in the door as an intern or volunteer.
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