John Carroll is home to just over 3,000 undergraduate students each year. Many individuals graduate, become successful and reminisce on the memories from their “home away from home.” But, others come back and have an impact on their secondary home long after their four years are complete. 

Mike Andelbradt fits into the second category of people. Andelbradt came to John Carroll in the fall of 2014 and graduated in May of 2018. 

“I was one of those lucky ones where it just kind of clicked,” Andelbradt said. “You come on campus and it just feels like home. I kept looking at a lot of places, but it was one of those things where my mind always came back to John Carroll. So, I made the leap without really knowing anyone and came here from Chicago.”

While a Blue Streak, he majored in sports administration as he was the first class of students to fully study under the Mike Cleary Department of Sports Studies. Andelbradt also was involved as a tour guide for potential Blue and Gold students. 

“The thing I loved most about John Carroll was that no matter what part of campus it was, it’s encouraged that you do everything. The Carroll kids who are doing it right wake up at 8 a.m. and don’t get back to your home until 10 p.m. You have no free time during the day, but, for some reason, you love it because everything is awesome. I was able to wrestle my first couple years here, was a tour guide, did service, went on immersions and worked several different on campus jobs. I changed majors halfway through and still had time to figure it out. It was an awesome hands-on experience.”

Andelbradt works in enrollment at John Carroll now as the Assistant Director of Enrollment and fondly remembers his time as a tour guide. 

“It’s just a really cool feeling to be able to share a passion that you have about a place with others and try to help create that experience for them too. I wasn’t very serious about my college searches. I stumbled into this process here at Carroll. Once I realized how special it can be, it was awesome to give back. Being a tour guide was a great opportunity to meet a ton of faculty, staff and other students from all different parts of campus.”

While a Blue Streak, Andelbradt started working for the Cleveland Guardians (then still known as the Cleveland Indians) due to connections he made while in undergrad. 

“Second semester junior year I started as a seasonal employee in fan services, so just answering phones, doing emails, working the games, making sure nothing broke. Then, my senior year, I set up my schedule so I could work part time there. I took an 8 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then worked downtown from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. I had to take five classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays to keep up my class schedule. It was insane but it ended up working out because, after graduation, there was a full time job kind of waiting for me there. I was able to stay with the Indians for a few years in a couple of different roles. It was a cool experience.” 

After graduation, Andelbradt worked as the team’s Client Service Specialist for a year before transitioning to the role of the Cleveland Indians Coordinator of Season Ticket Service for two years. 

“Fan services was very generally like single game ticket buyers, so logging into accounts, printing tickets, all of that very general stuff. Throughout my time, I transitioned more into the season ticket world and then the coordinator role which I thought was really cool. We oversaw eight full time, season ticket reps and nine part time season ticket reps. So, we basically owned our book of business of season ticket accounts which I think John Carroll really did a good job preparing me for because, obviously, it’s a service job, but you want to talk about being a man or woman for and with others, it really is because these people are extremely emotionally and financially invested in and it’s kind of our job to help them navigate that path and celebrate with them in the good times and share our disappointment in the sad times. On the business side of things, our biggest thing was ultimately developing relationships and then renewing the accounts year over year.”

When asked how he continued to make the movement up the ladder within the organization, he had a very atypical answer. 

“Honestly, in retrospect, just saying yes and asking what’s needed. I think in sports, there’s a lot of very confident and competitive people, which is an absolute strength, but I think one of the less natural things for those people is to ask for help because you think you can get it done yourself. So being able to put myself out there and very intentionally being like ‘what do we need to close the gap here? What do we need to get to the next step?’ That just put me in positions where when a position was vacated or when we were changing the structure of the department, I was already taking on more than what my job title said which made a more natural transition. I know we all hear this as students in sports that the first job is never glamorous, but I will echo that over and over again. If you’re willing to put in the work, people are going to notice and it’ll work out because every industry needs good people right now.”

He worked for the Indians for a total of six years but eventually made his way back to JCU. 

“I loved every moment with Indians and there was a part of me that thought I’d end up being a lifer there but John Carroll was just kind of always home. I never really considered the idea of coming back and working at JCU. But, during COVID, a job opportunity opened up here and, as for a lot of us, I’m sure COVID was a time of a lot of self reflection. My job here is really similar to the job that I had with the Indians; it’s a ton of relationship management, renewing the account turns into getting people to deposit but, ultimately, it’s building that relationship, making them feel comfortable and then getting them to make that decision to come here. There were a lot more transferable skills than I originally thought and I’m doing it in a place that I really care about.”

As previously stated, Andelbradt now works as the Assistant Director of Enrollment at John Carroll where he has a very special job of working with incoming students and building relationships and connections within different communities around the area. 

“We have a team of eight people that manage territories and basically starting as early as sophomore year for some students; we start building relationships with students, college counselors or with other decision makers like parents, coaches and community members. We act as a rep of the university doing high school visits, college fairs, counselor events, open houses and things like that. Once the calendar flips to January of their senior year, we become more of a counselor or an advisor for them. This is when financial aid packages come out, kids start narrowing their list down, having those hard conversations about all of their great choices. We help them make the best decision for them and we hope it’s John Carroll but, whatever it is, we’re there to help you get into a good position.”

When asked to reflect back on some of the best skills he learned from the Blue and Gold, Andelbradt believed his entire John Carroll experience impacted his professional career. 

“I think John Carroll does a really good job of giving you hands-on experience in different classes and allowing you to problem solve with your peers and take a leadership role while you’re still in college. That made it a lot easier to step up when it was appropriate in the professional world. John Carroll helped to create those spaces where we can grow as leaders and critical thinkers which was crucial for the professional world for me.”

He praised the “John Carroll connection” for his successes in the professional sports world as he believes that it’s not just a pipeline to the National Football League but all major league sports. 

“Being able to throw around the name John Carroll in a professional sports setting means more than it really should for a small Jesuit school in Northeast Ohio. Recognition is one of the things we’re very lucky to have and is definitely starting to grow outside of just our campus. It’s really starting to spread.”

His last parting piece of advice for anyone trying to break into the sports world is one that will be repeated for years to come: hard work.

“See where there is a gap and how you can be the person to fill that gap. Saying yes and taking on more but in a way where you really analyze the situation to make sure you’re doing it an appropriate way. It’s not always gonna be pretty, you’re gonna have to show up early, sometimes you’re gonna have to stay late but, if this is something that you want, say yes and good things will happen for you.” 

John Carroll continues to amaze the nation in how a small school in Ohio can turn out big name coaches, scouts, administrators, etc. It goes without saying that the feeling of home an individual can get while being on campus can alter an entire experience. The excitement and fast paced environment of the professional sports world is sometimes second to the feeling of home as is the case of Mike Andelbradt.