General | 5/13/2022 3:23:00 PM
ROCHESTER, NY – Over the past 36 years one might say Joe Seil has seen it all. The 36-year veteran employee of Nazareth College and the Athletic Department announced his retirement, effective in late August and will leave with a lifetime of memories and friendships made along the way.
"It's difficult to summarize in a couple of sentences, but I've enjoyed every minute of my time at Nazareth," said Seil, the Assistant Athletic Director and Sports Information Director. "I've worked with many wonderful people and traveled to places I never imagined that I would visit. I'm hoping to stay involved in a limited capacity, but I'm also excited about the next chapter in my life."
Seil started his career at Nazareth in 1986 and has been witness to four National Championship teams and more than 60 Empire 8 titles.
"It will be weird walking in to work and down the hall and not seeing Joe in his office," said Athletic Director Peter Bothner. "He is literally a fixture in Nazareth Athletics. I talk to alumni all the time and almost every time they ask about Joe. He touched so many lives."
In his time, Seil has seen an unbelievable amount of change both in the college and athletic department but also the field of sports information. When he started at Nazareth after a short career in the newspaper business, the sports information field was a lot of pencil and paper work to keep statistics and write and dictate stories to local and regional news outlets.
He has adapted and transitioned to a computerized world with websites, social media, live video and an increased use of photography to promote the successes of the Golden Flyer student-athletes.
The athletic department has seen immense growth as well with the addition most recently of men's and women's hockey, rugby and rowing as varsity sports. The campus also saw extensive facility upgrades with the construction of Golden Flyers Stadium and most recently the opening of the Golisano Training Center.
Seil leaves Nazareth on a high note as the Golden Flyers won a record nine conference titles and had runner-up finishes in eight other sports.
Seil is a charter member of the Empire 8, having joined Nazareth in 1986. He is the longest serving Sports Information Director in league history.
"Joe has forged an incredible legacy, not only at Nazareth but in his work with the Empire 8," said Empire 8 Associate Commissioner Joe Venniro. I am fortunate to call Joe a mentor, colleague and most importantly, a friend. He truly is a legend in the Sports Information field. I will certainly miss working with him on a daily basis and wish him all the best as he enjoys retirement."
The extra time in retirement will be spent with family as his sons Tim and Andy both reside in Buffalo.