Brendan Howe
FRANKLIN, MA (@Brendan__Howe) Sports media and broadcasting is a profession many students can only dream of. However, four years ago, Dean College struck gold when they brought in John Rooke as the director of the Center for Business, Entertainment and Sport Management. During his current tenure at Dean, Rooke has started to build up the communications program as well as the sports broadcast team, to the point that Dean has had no choice but to add it to the growing list of majors. Rooke is no stranger when it comes to success in the business, and that's a tribute to all his hard work. 43-year careers don't just happen by showing up with a smile. Here are some of Rooke's major accomplishments to this point in his magnificent career: Play-by-Play Texas Longhorns Women's basketball Play-by-Play San Antonio Spurs basketball Play-by-Play Providence Friars basketball Stadium Public Address Announcer New England Patriots WEEI-FM ESPN Radio Network Pretty impressive, right? It's clear Rooke knows what it takes to get to the top, and that's what he's trying to instill in each and every one of his students at Dean College. Of course, not everyone knows what they want to get into as soon as they get to school, and Rooke knows that. But on the same token, there are some students that have the light go off right away, and Rooke was one of those people. Rooke had torn up his knee due to an injury on the basketball court, and he was in search of what the next step was. He found it in the communications field. "I had always known I was a talker, my nickname as a little kid was 'senator' because I wouldn't shut up. I would always be asking questions, I was loud, and sometimes I just liked to hear myself talk. So, I never really equated that with being a reporter or broadcaster until I ripped up my leg in high school." Rooke would get his foot in the door and a year later, he found himself at The University of Texas at Austin with a journalism scholarship. Here at Dean, it's a little bit different of a situation, but all the goals remain the same. As far as knocking down doors to open up opportunities, Rooke had this to say; "Never say no to anything. Can you edit? Can you write? Can you voice? Yeah, sure thing. Even if you're not sure that you can, do it anyway. Figure it out. Say yes, and figure it out. Maybe you don't know if it's for you, but I'd still say yes. Then you come back later maybe and say, you know what? That's not for me. That's a better way to go about things, that's more honest. That's what college is for, to find yourself and what you're good at." Once that process is complete, it's time for the real deal. Here at Dean, you're either in, or you're out. If you commit, you commit. As far as the future goes, not only for the students but the school itself, Rooke has some astronomical sights. That aren't so far fetched. "To be thought of in the same breath as Syracuse. I want to be the small school equivalent. There's no reason we can't be here. I've already seen it, I'm into my fourth year teaching here, I spent ten years teaching at Emerson. The difference is focus. The difference is drive." Dean students are starting to realize just how special this program can be, with Rooke at the helm. "It's like being an athlete." Rooke said. "The most successful athletes are the ones that have that inner fire that burns and drives them to do good things, better things, and to improve themselves, and we need to find not only more students that have that passion and that desire, but we need to find more students that are willing to be trained in that form and fashion. That's what we're looking for here." As I mentioned before, Rooke's 43-year career doesn't just happen because he showed up. No, it takes heart, desire and the will to be the absolute best. This is no punch in, punch out nine-to-five job. But, as far as taking students and molding them into someone that is compatible with the 'Dean Difference', Rooke is all for that. "I'll take someone who's raw, that can't write very well, doesn't speak very well, and give me a couple years to work with this person and I think I can turn them into a communicator if that's what they want to be." Now with Dean making the transition from a two-year school, to a four-year communication powerhouse by the small school standard, it's time that students take advantage of the superior professors the institution has to offer. Rooke is surrounded by Professor Vic Michaels and Professor Gregg Seibert in the communications program that are all putting their brain power together for the benefit of the student body. "We need more kids here that are waiting on our professors here at Dean to say "please teach me". We have some brilliant professors here, and one thing I love about Dean is that everybody's human. You know, they're regular Joe's, they're regular Jane's, they're regular people. So get to know them a little bit, and then when you're in class, ask them to show you the way. Treat them as a guru because that's what they are." It's no secret that every college professor wants their students to go out into the real world and have unlimited success. After all, that's what college is for. But there are certain professors that are better at giving the students the tools to use to accomplish their goals and reach the top of the mountain. Rooke certainly is no slouch when it comes to providing students with the right tricks, advice, and things that will stick with them for years down the line to help them in their endeavors. "I would say personal integrity is everything to me in this world. Your integrity is all you've got. You can't lose that, you willingly give it up when you lie, you cheat or you steal, you do the things you're told not to do. Everybody needs to have personal integrity and personal accountability for themselves. Stop worrying about other people. Stop worrying about that other group of people over there, worry about yourself. Be you first, find out who you are first. That's the message I hope that most students get from taking my classes, help them find themselves a little bit." Rooke has been in and around the business for a long time, and he knows certainly what works and what doesn't. As for any teacher, it's a sense of pride to see their former students doing incredible things in their lives, and for John, it's no different. "I want to see my students on the air. I want to listen to their broadcasts, I want to watch them on TV, I want to read their work online, in a newspaper, or in a magazine. I want them to write books. I want to read their work, and I already do that. I really, eagerly, look forward to seeing their work, to see if they put forth principles that I may have once taught them into practical place." Rooke wants all his students to succeed, and he himself certainly is no stranger to success in this business. When I asked him what he looked back on as his best moment, here's what he had to offer: "I don't know if I can pick one, I would tell you that I've had a handful of them. Any time you win a championship at Madison Square Garden, that's pretty freakin' cool. When you think about all the athletes, all the entertainers that have performed in that building, it's legendary for a reason. I would also tell you that any one of the eight AFC Championship games I've been privileged to call working for the Patriots has been dynamite. I mean, how many people get a chance to be in that position? Not many, and I've had a chance to do it eight times. I'm 7-1 by the way. That's a pretty good record." Rooke cracked a couple jokes but I then asked him one final question that would bring it back to the serious topic of goal setting. Rooke always teaches his students to set goals and once you reach that goal, set the bar even higher, that the sky is the limit. So I turned that same theory back around on him and asked him if there was one goal he would still like to accomplish before it's all said and done. "My immediate goal is to develop this department, to teach students the way I know how to do things, because I've had a lot of success in my career, and I still see a lot of students who I look at and think: I was kind of like that. I want for you, just a little taste of what I've had because I've been very lucky. Very fortunate. But, I would also tell you I've worked very hard to put myself in the position to be successful, and so I'm simply providing a formula. What I want you to do is take what I've been able to offer and adapt it to your own life and your own personality and see what you can use and see if you can't get there yourself to where I've been." Rooke is a great sportscaster, but an even better professor. Dean students, including myself, can all learn from him in some form or fashion. Even if broadcasting or media isn't what you foresee for a career, still take the time to stop by his office and get to know him, because the light bulb may go off for you too. Dean College certainly has hit the jackpot with Rooke, and under his leadership and watch, there certainly won't be any question that there is nothing junior about Dean, and they'll be hitting the big time, in no time.
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