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Seth Reeves is the right guy to run the Rams Club.

The new executive director of the Educational Foundation is destined to have an easier start than his popular predecessor John Montgomery.

While an athletic director doesn’t necessarily have to be an alumnus of his school, the chief athletic fundraisers have an advantage if they already know all the names and faces of former star students.

After getting his master’s in athletic administration from UNC, Reeves worked for Learfield and Tar Heel Sports Properties selling sponsorships before being wooed by the Rams Club to move over.

And in nine years under Montgomery, Seth has enough knowledge to take the Rams Club to another, and very important, level with the transition of college sports to, shall we call it, semi-pro.

Reeves is subtly smart and, unlike most salesmen, listens more than he talks. That’s how he really gets to know the people he is pitching, and in his new role of finding just the right fit.

I worked with Reeves when an intern in graduate school, and he came in thinking he might like to be an athletic director someday. But he got hooked on the relationships he built by creating customized packages for clients in large and small businesses.

His colleagues at the Rams Club got to know Reeves, who eventually thought raising money for scholarships and other athletic department needs might be better than selling to companies whose management changed often and the relationship building had to start all over again.

He learned his new job from Montgomery and stalwarts like the late Eric Montross, who passed away too early while he was perfect to head up the Dean Smith Fund, which had once been taboo.

Smith had always told his former players that they didn’t have to give money to the university because their effort on the court and in the classroom was enough payback.

Montross was so genuine and brilliant, he worked with his ex-coach to change the paradigm, and the list of former Tar Heels who made big gifts to UNC became longer, whether publicly or privately.

Going outside to replace “Monty” would have put that guy behind in the revenue race that Reeves will now lead with two generations of alumni who already know him, like him and trust him.

And Seth will continue to do his job and manage others on the staff to help the Rams Club keep growing when there are so many others at Carolina raising money for their own departments and causes.

The days of college athletics are long gone when former players and coaches moved into such roles as more of a reward for successful careers. Reeves has put in his time, learned his trade and will know how to place alumni and donors in the right positions to feel better than ever about why they are supporting their favorite school, teams and athletes.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati


Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.

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