Email: | mspinner@albertus.edu |
Title: | Director of Athletics |
Phone: | 203-773-8578 |
Previous College: | Pace University, SUNY Cortland |
Major: | B.S. Political Science, M.S. Sports Management |
Michael Spinner was named Director of Athletics at Albertus
Magnus College on September 1, 2010. Spinner joins Albertus
after spending a year and a half as the Director of Athletics at
the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. While at Notre Dame,
Spinner served as the catalyst for tremendous change within the
department, leading an effort to develop a new athletics brand
identity and logo, a new athletics website, and a recruiting plan
that led to one of the largest and most competitive athletics
recruiting classes in several years. Spinner also instituted the
department's first-ever intramural sports program, and helped
established the college's first athletics homecoming weekend and
Midnight Madness event for basketball.
Spinner served previously as associate director of athletics at
Yeshiva University in New York City, where he was involved in all
facets of the administration of the athletic department, served as
the Sports Information Director, and oversaw the marketing of
athletic programs and public and media relations for the athletic
department. At Yeshiva, Spinner also oversaw a complete overhaul of
the athletic department operations, helped begin the school's
varsity women's cross country, soccer, and volleyball programs, and
assisted with the implementation of the program's first-ever
pre-season camp for fall sports.
Prior to Yeshiva, Spinner served as the assistant director of
athletics and head coach of the women’s lacrosse team at the
College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York. While at
Mount Saint Vincent, Spinner worked as the Sports Information
Director and led a process to develop a new athletics brand
identity and logo, and also developed a new website for the
athletics program. He also was involved in all areas of
administration of the athletics department. Spinner also founded
the Mount Saint Vincent women's lacrosse program in 2004, starting
as a club team, and guiding the team to incredible success. During
three varsity seasons (2005-2007), the Dolphins compiled a 31-19
record, and advanced to both the Skyline Conference and ECAC
semifinals during both the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. During that
stretch, Mount Saint Vincent produced 10 All-Conference
selections.
In addition to his college-related experiences in New York, Spinner
also has been sports information director for the Hudson Valley
Men’s and Women’s Athletic Conferences.
Spinner's work in college athletics began in 2000 when he accepted
a position as assistant men's and women's lacrosse coach at
Manhattanville College. In 2000, the Valiants earned Knickerbocker
Lacrosse Conference Coaching Staff of the Year honors. From there,
he moved to Salisbury State University where he served as an
assistant coach for the powerhouse Sea Gull programs, and helped
lead Salisbury to the NCAA Sem. Spinner also coached at the High
School level, leading Greenwich High School to the 2002 Connecticut
State Championship Game after a 17-4 season as head girl's varsity
lacrosse coach. In 2003, while recruiting for Mount Saint Vincent,
Spinner served as the assistant girl's varsity lacrosse coach and
defensive coordinator at Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich,
and helped lead the Gators to their first-ever Fairchester Athletic
Association (FAA) Championship. Spinner also spent the 2008 and
2009 seasons as assistant girl's varsity lacrosse coach and
defensive coordinator at Rye High School, helping the Garnets to
the 2009 Section 1, Class C Championship Game.
Spinner has also coached lacrosse on the international level,
guiding Team USA as Head Coach during the 2006 Down Under Cup in
Melbourne, Australia, and the 2007 Aussie Titles in Sydney,
Australia. He is currently a coach with the Connecticut Dodgers
Girls' Lacrosse Club.
An accomplished journalist, Spinner served as editor-in-chief of
the Pace University student newspaper, and then moved on to a
professional journalism career that included stints as the
assistant editor of Inside Lacrosse, managing editor of the now
defunct 360Lacrosse.com, and a senior columnist for e-lacrosse.com.
He also has numerous free-lance articles to his credit, including a
recent column published by the New York Rangers Tribune. He also
spent nearly three years as Website Editor at World Wrestling
Entertainment in Stamford, Connecticut.
Spinner is a 1999 graduate of Pace University in Pleasantville, New
York, where he earned the bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude,
in political science and was a four-year member of the lacrosse
team. He holds a master’s degree in sports management from
the State University of New York at Cortland.