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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — It is a rare occurrence for a Division III sports information professional to have a facility named after them. On Saturday, Mount Savage native and longtime University of Mary Washington sports information director Clint Often became the seventh such individual to receive that honor.
The Clint Often Press Box was unveiled prior to Mary Washington's field hockey match against Gettysburg. The newly renovated facility, located at the Battleground Athletic Complex, now features AI-powered cameras for live event broadcasts and a state-of-the-art sound system.
Often admitted that the timing was a bit surreal. "It was wild because, in the middle of it, I had to work a field hockey game," he said. "If you ask me to talk about myself in front of a bunch of people, I have a hard time doing it; so it was nice to have a little bit of a distraction knowing I had to work the field hockey game afterward. But it was a really nice event."
He was surrounded by family, including his wife and daughters, as well as his parents, who made the three-hour trip from Mount Savage. "Any day I get to see my folks — because they live three hours away in Mount Savage — is a blessing," Often said. "Any time I see them, I always feel better at the end of the day. To share it with my wife and kids was amazing."
As the father of two teenage girls, Often noted that he can gauge his wins by their reactions. "You can kind of gauge your wins when you can sense them saying, 'Wow, Dad, that's really cool,'" he said.
Other College Sports Communicators members at the Division III level with athletic facilities named after them include Dave Wrath (Augustana College), Jeff Febus (Calvin University), Tom and Carole Renner (Hope College), Andy Johnson (Macalester College) and Duane Schroeder (Wartburg College).
From Mount Savage to Mary Washington
Often, who currently serves as the assistant athletic director for communications, sports information and marketing at Mary Washington, graduated from Mount Savage in 1990. He was a member of the 1987 state championship team, the Indians' second and final boys soccer state crown. In the state semifinals against Easton, Often capped off a 3-2 come-from-behind victory with the game-winning goal with 15:36 remaining.
After graduating from Mount Savage, Often was uncertain about his future. He attended what was then Allegany Community College for a semester, where he played soccer. Around that time, Potomac State was restarting its baseball program, so Often transferred over winter break to Potomac State to play baseball and earn an Associate of Arts degree in journalism in 1992.
He then went to Lock Haven to play baseball and obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and public relations in 1994.
Often recalled a chance encounter that set his career in motion. "I went to the Alhambra (Catholic Invitational Tournament) at Frostburg and ran into Oscar Lewis," he said. "He asked what I was going to do after college. I was kind of like Jake Taylor in Major League. 'Eh, something will come up.' Oscar said his athletic director, Jeff Krone, was looking for two graduate assistants. So I went to FSU to be a GA and got a master's degree there in 1996."
Often was working baseball camps at Gettysburg when the sports information job opened up at Mary Washington. "From the start, it was almost like it was meant to be," he said. "I came down for my interview and immediately hit it off with everyone. I sat in a session with our coaches and before we started, they asked where I grew up and I said Western Maryland. I told the baseball coach I played baseball at Lock Haven, and it turns out he played there too. I said I did an internship with the (Cleveland) Indians in Canton, Ohio, and the swim coach said they were from Canton. I said I went to grad school at Frostburg, and one of the other coaches said they went to Frostburg. It was way too many coincidences for me to not get the job."
Evolving Role and Recent Success
With the change in Often's job title over the years, so has the nature of the job. "When I started, we'd mail a weekly press release to local newspapers and fax game stories," Often said. "Now we worry about social media, our website, streaming games. Things are always getting added, but it's really fun."
Often, who is entering his 31st year at Mary Washington, met his wife, Jodi, in Fredericksburg and started a family there. He is a father of twin girls and had an eventful 30th year in the sports information department.
In April, the men's basketball team won the Division III national championship, the first UMW men's team national title in school history. "This year was the first year all of the (basketball) national title games were in the same place," Often said. "On Saturday, they had a suite for us for the Final Four. Sunday we won the title. And Monday we had a suite for the (Division I) national championship game. It was a really cool experience."
Mary Washington returns all but one player from a team that finished 30-3, which has given Often a little bit of pep in his step for his 31st year. "In sports information, you usually have the lifespan of an NFL running back," Often joked. "You burn out pretty quick. But the coaches and administration here have always been very supportive. I was a one-man shop for 27 years, then got a full-time person three years ago. People ask me when I'm going to retire, and I say, 'I've never had this much help. Why retire now?'"
Often, who was inducted into the UMW Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022, credits his work ethic to his parents. "My dad was a lifelong ironworker," Often said. "We'd cut our own wood on the weekends. He's the most hardworking guy I've ever met. He taught me very early what hard work was. I guess during the field hockey game on Saturday, people were going up to my parents and saying nice things about me and my time at UMW. And really it's just a reflection on my parents because of how they raised me."
Originally reported by yahoo.