From his small office on the first floor of the Lilly Center, Director of Sports Information Bill Wagner sits in front of his laptop amongst piles of papers and folders. Wagner is the backbone of every sports team at DePauw, compiling statistics into his databases, communicating with conference offices and posting content about the teams online. In his 25th year at DePauw, through all the demands of covering each varsity team, what Wagner has enjoyed most about his job is getting to know the students behind the stats.
The DePauw: What is your job at DePauw?
Bill Wagner: My job really entails handling the communications for our athletic teams. That includes reporting results to the conference office and national organizations, updating and maintaining the website and editing publications related to athletics.
TDP: Tell me about yourself.
BW: I'm from Tiffin, Ohio, in the northwest part of Ohio. I went to Miami University and got an undergrad degree in business administration, and then went to Ohio State [University] and got a Master's degree there. I came here in 1986 and been here ever since. I have a wife and seven month old twins.
TDP: Can you explain what you do?
BW: I think in the role that I have...it's overseeing the strategic communications we have, whether it be social media or the website or contacting the media directly. I run the athletics Twitter feed and the Facebook page as well.
TDP: What do enjoy most about your job?
BW: Working with students who work in the office and then following the student athletes. Not just what they do athletically, but what they do around campus. And then when they come back as alumni, seeing the whole thing when they come here as 17 and 18 year olds and they come back as graduates, it's neat to see that.
TDP: What is one of the fondest memories of DePauw sports?
BW: I hate singling things out, but it might be the whole 2007. It started with the women's basketball team winning the national championship in March, and then that spring Liz Bondi, who was on the basketball team, won the national singles championship in women's tennis. And then the softball team making the finals that year too.
TDP: How are your relationships with the coaches?
BW: I'd say very good. The coaches here are the main reason why someone like me has stayed here for so long because they understand the perspective of athletics at a school like DePauw, yet they're competitive. So it's a really good mix. They're good at what they do, and it makes the job that I have a lot easier, to write about teams that are competitive and successful, and they attract the right types of students.
TDP: As a Cleveland sports fan, how great is it to be a part of DePauw athletics where our teams win?
BW: The Indians have the best record in baseball right now. Period. That's all I need to say.