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Burge still wired into sports marketing
By Greg Gulas
BEAVER TOWNSHIP
On the conservative side, Bruce Burge is the driving force that raises over $25 million for sports teams that he represents.
Those teams include the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League and multiple independent partners.
The first ever athletics marketing director for Youngstown State University — he was hired in that position in 1984 — Burge would go on to market the Youngstown Pride of the World Basketball League (he would later serve as assistant commissioner as well) and unveil aggressive marketing campaigns for various high level and lower level professional sports franchises.
“I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of 11 championship teams in the NBA, NHL, IHL, AHL, ECHL, WNBA and WBL,” Burge told the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s weekly meeting at Avion Banquet Center. “It has been a blast and it definitely never gets old. Now, I am hoping for a third NBA ring in June when the Cavaliers win it all, again.”
He thanked former YSU executive director of athletics Joe Malmisur for the opportunity to serve his alma mater, and for letting him develop cutting-edge ideas that he still employs today.
“Joe Malmisur took a chance on a kid that he didn’t even know and for that I am most appreciative,” he said. “He was a visionary who knew from the very first day what YSU could be and worked endless hours to build them into a national power.”
Burge splits time between residences in Parkman, Southington, Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale, calling football Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium one that he still looks forward to each and every fall.
“I love college football and currently have season tickets for two teams, YSU and Kennesaw State in Georgia,” he added. “Having lived in the south now for over 25 years, I have been to almost every SEC and ACC stadium. I have witnessed pageantry from Alabama to LSU in the SEC, and from Clemson to Duke to Miami in the ACC. I’ve also had Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl tickets for 25 years, yet there is no better place for me on Saturday in the fall than Stambaugh Stadium. I have found that the Penguins are respected everywhere that I travel and cannot imagine a better place to be during football season.”
He noted that changes must be made to college football in order to accommodate Group 5 teams.
“There are the Power 5 conferences and then Group 5 teams,” Burge said. “FCS teams and those in Divisions II and III all have something to look forward to when play-off time arrives, but Group 5 teams like those in the Mid-American Conference, Mountain West and American Athletic Conference are shut out when it comes to playing for a national championship.
“Central Florida plays in the American Athletic East division, will probably go undefeated and while they are the best chance for a Group 5 team to play on New Year’s Day, they won’t even be in the national championship conversation. Teams like UCF deserve an opportunity that currently isn’t afforded that group of teams.”
Burge has always taken a proactive and not reactive approach to sales, noting that it is best to deal with things as they come up and to never let things fester if a problem arises.
“I have gotten to meet so many people from various walks of life, people I would never have gotten to meet if I wasn’t in this line of work,” he said.
He called this weekend’s Ohio State-Michigan football game one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, adding that the Cleveland Browns (he has been a season ticket holder for 31 years) may need another overhaul in order to once again be competitive.
“I love the Browns, but winning is a culture,” Burge said. “You need winners in your organization. Bill Parcells always said you are what you are.”
Next week, Rick Shepas, current chief of performance and athletics for Youngstown City Schools will be the featured speaker.