Student, intern and volunteer assistant coach.
Add in locker room music curator and it’s easy to tell University of Pittsburgh at Bradford student Dahmir Noel has worn many hats in the last year. On Sunday afternoon, Noel will add another hat of sorts –– his graduation cap. The senior from Philadelphia will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management.
In the last last year, Noel has received plenty of exposure in sports and management, starting with the Big 30 Charities Classic. Noel and fellow Pitt-Bradford student Ashly Colosimo were inaugural interns for the event with Noel focusing on football operations.
That meant doing everything from helping with roster changes, attending practices, sitting in on coaches meetings, assisting in ticket sales and standing on the field making sure both the New York and Pennsylvania teams followed the Big 30-mandated guidelines
All of it started from a conversation with Noel’s advisor.
“My advisor Keary Rouff suggested the Big 30 because I needed a field placement to graduate and he knows I love football,” Noel, a graduate of Monsignor Bonner High School, said. “He got in contact with a few people running the Big 30 and that’s how I was provided the opportunity to intern with them.”
The Big 30 game, a win by Pennsylvania, is the annual culmination of the high-school sports career of many area football players. However, the Big 30 Charities Classic represents more than just a game, as the charity has raised and given away more than $1.65 million in its 43-year history.
“The Big 30 allowed me to see the sport from an organizational standpoint, while also letting me get a hands-on feel for the sport I love, which is football.”
Noel, who hopes to become a collegiate athletic director, got a big lift from Pitt-Bradford Athletic Director Bret Butler, who nominated Noel to attend the NCAA Division III Student Immersion Program in Nashville, Tenn., in January. The four-day event was held in conjunction with the annual NCAA Convention. He became just the second Pitt-Bradford student to attend the event.
Butler also got Noel in contact with Nick LaBella, the head football coach at Otto-Eldred.
All season long, Noel was right there on the sidelines as a volunteer coach, helping the offensive and defensive lines, watching film and even was allowed to run the special teams unit during a junior varsity game.
“Dahmir always brought an upbeat attitude and willingness to jump in and be involved,” LaBella said. “He watched film continuously and made the most of our game-planning sessions.”
Noel’s work ethic showed, especially when considering the 15-or-so minute drive from campus to Duke Center every day during a fall sports season could easily become strenuous.
“He never missed a game or practice (other than for class) and was confident enough to offer suggestions,” LaBella said.
LaBella, who was one of the main reasons his alma mater had its best season in 41 years, won the Allegheny Mountain League North division title and advanced to the District 9 playoffs. The season was one to remember for Noel.
“I will never forget the season those boys had and I am glad to say I got to witness it,” Noel said. “That season was a true testament to what can be achieved when you put together a good team, not just a bunch of individuals.”
Noel remembers the coaches meetings after losing a hard-fought 14-6 game in Week 4 to Bradford thinking the Terrors had the right mix of players and coaches to succeed. But, admittedly, he didn’t predict the team would be going toe-to-toe with undefeated Kane in the AML title game in front of a packed grandstand at Otto-Eldred’s high school.
“Even though, I was only able to spend one season with them,” Noel said, “I just hope that the school, the coaching staff and the players know that I am proud of what we accomplished and I am grateful that they welcomed me into their family with open arms.”
The feeling was mutual from LaBella.
“He also became our go-to consultant for rap/hip-hop,” LaBella said. “It was a pleasure to have him be a part of our program.”
Before his chapter at Pitt-Bradford ends, Noel is appreciative of all the opportunities the university has been able to afford him in the last four years.
“I think that I learned a lot more outside the classroom than inside,” Noel said, “and I feel like a lot of the opportunities that have been afforded to me these last four years would have not happened if I wasn’t at Pitt-Bradford. I would like to say thank you to all of the mentors that I have been fortunate to have along the way. Hopefully, I can continue to make my mentors, my family and myself proud.”
After graduation, Noel will be spending the majority of his summer in Bradford before attending graduate school in the fall. His choices are narrowed down to Kent State or Millersville University to study sports administration and make another step toward his goal of being a collegiate athletic director.
It also represents the opening of another chapter in his life. And the chance to wear yet another hat.
