Sport Management grad Keith Ricci is making his way up in the world of professional hockey with the Boston Bruins, and he contributes much of his success to WVU and CPASS.
“My first step was attending WVU for the well-respected Sport Management program. Besides the education, the networking with other Mountaineer students and alumni was critical. There are Mountaineers everywhere around the world in all different lines of work who are willing to help other Mountaineers learn and succeed,” said Ricci.
“The biggest thing CPASS did for me was educate me on the sport industry as a whole. There are a lot of different functions and positions within a sports organization, so having that broad knowledge was huge for career development.”
Shortly after graduation, Ricci was offered a job with the Tampa Bay Rays’ front office selling season tickets to individuals and businesses. He jumped at the chance to get his foot in the door.
After five months with the Rays, he was offered a position with the Boston Bruins. He accepted immediately, and he still enjoys the fast-paced, unpredictable work environment.
“Typical days don’t exist in the National Hockey League. It’s always exciting, different and never a dull moment, whether we’re in season or it’s the offseason,” said Ricci.
“In a nutshell, I manage almost 700 season ticket accounts for the Boston Bruins and it’s my job to make sure their experience with the Bruins and TD Garden is spectacular every game and every season.”
Ricci knows that he has a lot of climbing left to do in his career, but he looks forward to what the future has to bring.