CALLING THE ACTION: URI student Josh Blumenthal calls the action at a recent New Jersey Storm professional indoor lacrosse game. (Photo courtesy New Jersey Storm)

KINGSTON, R.I. -- February 19, 2003 -- Potential employers who scan University of Rhode Island senior Josh Blumenthal’s resume might think they were looking at the employment history of a seasoned pro.

Set to graduate in May, the Amityville, N.Y. resident is a public relations and radio color commentator for the New Jersey Storm of the National Lacrosse League, and has been a sales assistant for WFAN-AM Sports Radio, New York, and a marketing and sales intern for Global Spectrum, the manager of URI’s Ryan Center.

His lengthy record in sports marketing and management operations also includes work as a public relations and operations assistant with the New York Power of the Women’s United Soccer Association and sales and public relations intern with the American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins.

"When I graduate I hope to pursue a master’s degree in sports administration at the University of Miami," Blumenthal said, who has also been a student intern in URI’s Athletic Media Relations Department. "I want to become involved with the marketing of a pro team, but my ultimate goal is to eventually own my own professional team."

While traveling around North America (both Canada and the United States) for the New Jersey Storm broadcasts every weekend, he also writes features and previews for the Storm’s and the lacrosse league’s web site, www.NLL.com.

"I started doing little stories for the Storm and the league at first, but then this year New Jersey asked if I wanted to do color commentary on the radio," Blumenthal said. "They told me, ‘we know how to market the team, but we don’t know lacrosse,’ so last year, they asked me to assist with the public relations. This year I am happy to be on the air alongside New York radio celebrity Joe Nolan."

Blumenthal, however, hasn’t just been a spectator. He was team captain and Most Valuable Player on his high school lacrosse team in Garden City, N.Y. as well as a member of the URI men’s club lacrosse team, which captured the 2001 Pioneer League Championship.

A former sports writer for the URI student newspaper, The Good 5 Cent Cigar, Blumenthal also coached lacrosse at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick and is now the first-ever head coach for Toll Gate High School also in Warwick. He was the prime mover behind Toll Gate’s effort to establish a varsity lacrosse team.

The communications studies major said URI paved the way for much of his success. "I was recruited by a couple of schools (to play lacrosse), but I knew URI had a competitive club team," Blumenthal said. "I knew a club team would give me flexibility to pursue my career goals, and once I got here, I fell in love with it.

"I have no regrets whatsoever," he continued. "If I could do it all over, I would come right back to URI. What I like to tell people is it’s a Division I school, but it’s not Florida State or Ohio State and as a result students are able to get involved very quickly."

He said the size of the school and its warmth, led to opportunities right away through the Cigar and the URI athletic media relations program. "URI gave me the opportunities to explore many different things while in college."

Blumenthal credits URI Communications Studies professors Judith Swift and Tony Silvia with giving him the confidence to pursue opportunities while at URI. "They are two of my favorite professors. I learned a ton about life from them both."

He said he learned that he needed the skills and the right work ethic to excel, but that he also needed to make connections.

"Success is a journey not a destination. URI has done more for me than I could have imagined," he said.