{"id":7332,"date":"2017-12-10T13:51:22","date_gmt":"2017-12-10T19:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=7332"},"modified":"2017-12-13T14:19:00","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T20:19:00","slug":"greg-hegarty-earns-royal-homecoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/greg-hegarty-earns-royal-homecoming\/","title":{"rendered":"Greg Hegarty, ’17, Earns Royal Homecoming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greg Hegarty, \u201917, was a two-time Division II All-American wrestler at Maryville. After graduating last May, he returned to his native Kansas City to work in ticket sales for the Royals \u2013 a job he landed with the help of skills learned in the Rawlings Sport Business Management<\/a> program.<\/p>\n

He calls the job a happy homecoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a dream job, getting to work with the Royals,\u201d Hegarty says. \u201cAnd I got to come home where I wanted to be. I could say I\u2019m lucky, but I worked hard to get here.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a student, Hegarty worked with the St. Louis Cardinals for a year \u2014 six months as an intern and another six months in a part-time job. (The longtime I-70 rivalry between the Cards and the Royals didn\u2019t stop the Royals from hiring him, however.) Hegarty works in group and season-ticket sales at Kauffman Stadium.<\/p>\n

“I could say I\u2019m lucky, but I worked hard to get here.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cSometimes, when I\u2019m parking in the morning, it catches me off guard that I really work here,\u201d Hegarty says. \u201cOr, I\u2019ll walk around the stadium over my lunch hour and see some of the players. I try to act professionally, but at the same time I\u2019m thinking, \u2018This is so cool.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The job primarily involves inside sales, Hegarty says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make many phone calls and send many emails every day, so I have to stay focused,\u201d he says. \u201cI love talking to hardcore, loyal fans and selling them the whole experience of Royals baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n

He credits program director Jason Williams, EdD, and others in the Rawlings Sports Business Management program with helping him land the position.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a program you\u2019re not going to find anywhere else,\u201d Hegarty says. \u201cThey give you lots of hands-on experience that allows you to put things on your resume which set you apart from anyone else in the industry. They really work to get your name out there, and get you into the workforce. They helped me advance to another level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hegarty came to Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPas a recruit for the Saints wrestling program, after a stellar athletic career at Blue Springs High School. As a Saint, he qualified for two national tournaments and earned two second All-American Honors. Hegarty stays involved with the sport by helping to coach the Blue Springs Wildcat youth wrestling club.<\/p>\n

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