Episode 42 – Garrett Boorojian and Gus Ramsey discuss relationship building in a team environment.
Gus is the Program Director at the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Gus is also a graduate of the prestigious Rollins College (class of 1989), which is located in Winter Park outside of Orlando, Florida. At Rollins, Gus was the Founding Father of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. Gus became a member of the Rollins College Hall of Fame in 2018 for Alumni Athletic Achievement.
On the podcast:
Gus talked about his close friendship with the late Barry Sacks of ESPN and Barry’s tremendous influence on Gus’ life. Gus also spoke about his great friendship with ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian.
The audience will also learn about Gus’s time growing up, when he and his father developed a unique friendship with 12x All–Star, 3x Cy Young Award–Winning, World Series Champion, and Hall of Fame Baseball pitcher, Tom Seaver, who played for the MLB’s New York Mets for the majority of his professional baseball career.
Gus highlighted the 1996 Summer Olympics and 2000 World Series as examples of major sporting events that had significant impacts on Gus’ life as well as his employer, ESPN, covering the events. The audience will learn why on the podcast.
During the 1973 World Series, when Gus was six years told, he learned a lesson from his father how to show class and good sportsmanship when his favorite team, the New York Mets, lost to the Oakland Athletics in seven games during that year’s World Series.
At one time, Gus’ father was a teacher at the Robert Louis Stevenson School located in the Monterey Peninsula and his mother was the Director of Marketing at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.
Gus shares more stories with Garrett about lessons on relationship building in a team environment that are able to be applied in not just the professional sports industry, but in everyday professional life.
With respect to Tom Seaver, Gus and another ESPN alumnus, Bill Simmons, had the extraordinary opportunity to play catch and spend time with Tom when they were teenagers.
Many years later, circa 2007, Gus and his father were reunited with Tom and his family, sharing stories, and standing in front of Tom’s Hall of Fame plaque at a party that was held for that year’s Baseball Hall of Fame Induction festivities. Tom was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1992 but, like his fellow Hall of Famers, they were all able to enjoy the festivities as already inducted members.
Sadly, Tom passed away on August 31, 2020, at the age of 75 – His memory lives on in the Ramsey family and in millions of others throughout the baseball world.
Gus’ Professional Career History:
– Program Director – Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting at Full Sail University – 2017 to Present
– Talent Coach at GusRam Productions – 2016 to Present
– Coordinating Producer at ESPN – 2000 to 2015
– Producer at ESPN – 1994 to 2000
– Producer at WESH–TV (NBC-affiliate in Orlando, Florida) – 1990 to 1994