Campus Celebrity, Where are They Now: Brian Lafferty

 Whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, you probably know or at least know of Brian Lafferty. Her Campus SJU had the pleasure of interviewing Brian as a Campus Celebrity during the summer of 2013, the summer before his junior year. Since then a lot has changed for Brian, or Laff as people call him, as he is about to become the face of SJU for the upcoming basketball season as the 2014-2015 season Hawk. I caught up with Laff over some Starbucks for another interview to hear about his senior year so far, and what he thinks the future will bring him as he (sadly) graduates from Hawk Hill in the spring. 

HC: Take me through a basketball game through the eyes of the Hawk

BL: Home games are always a great experience. Last year I would usually get there about an hour and a half before tip-off and help with any managerial aspects for the game since that is part of the position. I would usually help rebound in some on the warm ups or whatever was needed before it was time for me to get dressed. When I first started out I would stretch and loosen up for at least 10-12 minutes, now flapping is second nature so I only have to stretch for about a minute before I suit up. Running out with the team is always exciting, anything I get to do on the court is always fun. During the game I have the best seat in the house, right at the end of the bench. People always ask how sore my arms get, but in all honesty it feels the same to me 10 minutes into the game as it does 2 hours so I don’t really think about it. Other than that, I run a couple figure 8’s every timeout and I always like to interact with the crowd in whatever way I can. Away games are always interesting as well. The 2nd game I ever did last year we went into overtime and beat Wichita State, which was great way to start off.

HC: Wow my arms get sore from a few bicep curls at the gym I can’t even begin to imagine flapping for that long! How does it make you feel to be apart of one of the oldest traditions in college basketball?

BL: It’s a very unique privilege that I feel extremely honored to have my name be a part of. I definitely feel that it’s something that I won’t completely be able to understand and appreciate until I’ve gone through it all though. I received an email from Jim Brennan, the original Hawk, over the summer listing all of the responsibilities and duties that are required of me with was nice, but also daunting. It’s been cool getting to meet many of the past Hawks; they’re all very encouraging and give a lot of insight on the tradition. We’re having a dinner soon where they officially welcome me into the ‘Featherhood’ and then there will be a Hawk mascot night at the Vermont game, November 22nd so I am really looking forward to that!

HC: There is more to being the Hawk than just basketball right? Tell me about other appearances and events you attend as the Hawk, besides basketball games

BL: I usually have about 2 or 3 Hawk appearances a week outside of basketball games; some are on-campus and some are off-campus. I’ve done 4 weddings so far, the furthest being in NYC. My 3 most memorable appearances so far have been first when I was invited by a former Hawk to come out on his new boat that he bought that had ‘THWND’ on the back. We did a photo shoot and then drove around the Avalon Bay for about an hour; we got a lot of mixed reactions. Second would have to be when I was invited by Swoop to an Eagles pre-season game, where a group of mascots were to play against a pee-wee football team during the half time. It was awesome to run out on the field in front of such a huge crowd. A clip was shown on TV of me tackling one of the kids trying to score, so I got a lot of heat from my friends for that. But I also knocked down the Nova Wildcat when he went up for a pass even though he was on my team…some things just don’t change! 

HC: Alright now for the dreaded topic, senior year…How does it feel to almost be a second semester senior

BL: Well the fact that I just registered for my last classes here doesn’t help! That’s something I’ve tried pretty hard not to think about this semester though. Senior year I’ve been more focused on just living in the moment and enjoying each day for what it is. My sophomore and junior year were so spent looking towards the future in order to achieve my goals that I had set out. Now that I’ve done so much of what I’ve wanted to do, (laughs) and even a lot more, I’ve really just been trying to just enjoy myself as a senior in college…without slacking off of course

HC: That’s an awesome mindset to have! Do you have any post-grad plans yet?

BL: Right now I am in the application process for Office Candidate School for United States Marine Corps. Leadership and Service have always been two important things in my life and it has been my dream since high school to be an Office in the Marines. I hope to work my way to be a pilot one day.

HC: Wow! I had no idea about that. This will probably be a tough one, but what’s your all time favorite SJU memory?

BL: Yeah wow I have so many, but my favorite would have to be last year when I had the unique opportunity to compete in the 94 WIP Philadelphia Wing Bowl, the largest radio event in the world no big deal, and got to represent Saint Joe’s in the college division with all of the other BIG 5 schools. Me and about 30 of my friends got to rep Saint Joe’s in a sold-out Wells Fargo Center. I’m sure you know about Wing Bowl, so you know how crazy it is, so it was so fun to be apart of. Actually though, the wings were terrible and I ended up losing to a UPenn kid, but it was still an unforgettable day. Now that I’m thinking about it, I ended up being awake for 48 hours because Wing Bowl starts at 6 AM and then I had to go to class, sit in on 6 hours of orientation leader appicant interviews, and then play 3 roller hockey games that night!

HC: (Laughs) I wish I could say I’m surprised…Is there any specific person at Saint Joe’s who has had the greatest impact on you personally?

BL: Geez another tough one! One of my favorite things about SJU is how invested the professional staff members are in the success and development of students. When I think about who has impacted me the most, I think of 3 people not just one, sorry. But they are Beth Hagovsky, Laura Egan, and Matt Fullmer. These people have provided me with such great opportunities and have really shaped who I am. The greatest impact would have to come from Beth for giving me the opportunity to be part of the Orientation program for the past 3 years though. As my boss this summer, I was really able to grow as a leader and as a person under her supervision. The position of Orientation Coordinator was also one of the most rewarding things I have been able to do here so I have her to thank for choosing me and giving me that experience.

HC: Okay stemming from the Orientation talk, when you were an incoming freshman did you expect to become as involved in different things as you are?

BL: I was definitely drawn in by the idea of the ‘Not for Spectators’ motto coming into freshmen year and knew I wanted to be involved in a few activities. However, I never would have thought that I would be an RA for two years or the Student Body Vice President and an APEX leader as a junior to name a few. (Laughs) I’ll spare you my list of involvement, but I think it’s just that I’ve just always been up for a new challenge and a new experience. 

HC: Love it, more people should think that way! Can you sum up your Saint Joe’s experience in three words?

BL: Hmmmm….went all in. 

HC: (Laughs) I think it’s safe to say you definitely did. What’s the thing you’re going to miss the most when you graduate?

BL: Definitely all of the people here, I think it’s such a special community that we have at SJU. Obviously I’ve enjoyed all of the opportunities I’ve had here but I don’t think it would have been the same if it wasn’t for the people who were right there with me in everything. I’ve met some of my best friends here so I will definitely miss being with them every day once we graduate and go off into the real world.

HC: Last one! If you could give one piece of advice on making the most of an SJU experience what would it be?

BL: Hmm…I would have to say do what makes you happy and don’t be afraid to go do it by yourself sometimes. If I had waited for approval for everything that I wanted to do from others, or for someone to come do it with me all the time, then I wouldn’t have been able to do half the things I have done. Life’s too short to be stressed out all the time so you need to find what it is that you have a passion for and just go for it – you never know where it could take you.

    Take this advice from a Hawk who has truly done it all here at Saint Joe’s. Laff still has a whole semester left so take it as an opportunity to get to know him. His positive attitude is contagious and he has truly embodied everything that SJU stands for during his four years spent here. 

HCXO