Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME This past semester marked the last in Tim Con- nor's 15-year career at Notre Dame and the end of a 31-year career working hockey media relations, including 13 at Providence Col- lege. Connor also served as co- editor of the Notre Dame game program from 2004-06. Blue & Gold Illustrated: Aside from games, what's the biggest aspect of your media relations duties? Connor: "For me, it's dealing with the kids, the coaches and the team. That's the fun part. The interaction with them — it's fun to see a kid from his fresh- man year to his senior year where he goes, how he grows up. "It 's dealing with the me- dia where they're terrified as freshmen and then by the time they're seniors, the media wants them all the time." Blue & Gold Illustrated: We know what a coach's or a player's game day is like. What's yours? Connor: "Home is more busy [than away] just because you have to prepare your stuff for the press box. If it's a TV game, you have to deal with TV. … When it gets to two hours before the game, everything starts. If NBC is here, they'll do an interview. I've got to make sure coach is ready to go. Then I'll go back to the press box and get things ready for the stat crew. "Once the game starts, it's just the game. After the game is when our work really begins." Blue & Gold Illustrated: Aside from the immense workload, not to minimize that, what's the tough- est part of the job? Connor: "Having a life. Just trying to get a break to get away from it. Go to a movie, go to a game in Chicago. I've been here 15 years, I think I've gone during the season twice to a Blackhawks game. "It's either do I stay a little bit later tonight and come in early tomorrow, because I know to- morrow I have this, this and this to do. It's easier to stay in and work then go to a game." Blue & Gold Illustrated: What's the best moment you've been able to experience only because you were in this role? Connor: "It's the [2008] Fro- zen Four. We beat Michigan when Calle Ridderwall had the overtime goal. It was our first time, just the euphoria for everybody, especially the guys, the alumni, that came back that had never been at that level before. "They were all embraced and they were all into it. The team embraced everybody." Blue & Gold Illustrated: During your three years as co-editor of the football game program, how did that workload affect your usual duties? Connor: "There were Mondays at 5 p.m., every- thing was to the printer for that, and I hadn't even touched, looked at or thought about hockey, so that meant you were in there 5-11 trying to get caught up on the stuff that other hockey people had been doing since nine in the morning. "That threw everything back." — Douglas Farmer Five Questions With … ASSOCIATE MEDIA RELATIONS DIRECTOR TIM CONNOR Connor has retired after working at Notre Dame for the past 15 years. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS