AMCC 25TH ANNIVERSARY DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI SERIES: JOSH HAAS, LA ROCHE UNIVERSITY

Josh Haas was a golfer at La Roche University under the tutelage of former head coach, and current Athletic Director, Jim Tinkey. Haas capped off his senior season by being named the 2002 AMCC Golfer of the Year. During the same seaosn, the team placed third in the AMCC and Haas picked up his fourth nod to the AMCC all-conference team, while Jim Tinkey earned AMCC Coach of the Year honors.

Haas later came back to join the team in the form of an assistant coach (2003-2006). While he was coaching, Haas earned his Master's Degree in Human Resource Management. 

Mr. Haas is currently employed as an Account Executive at iHeartMedia. His job function is to help clients reach their potential consumers through a range of broadcast and digital mediums. 

Haas gained this position by networking early in his career. He had made a connection with the head of sales for the Steelers Radio Network, and he invited Haas to interview for an open position. Over the course of three months Haas had multiple interviews and was presented with multiple different scenarios, and sat through various meetings. Haas was offered the position in March of 2004. He accepted and has been there ever since. 

Haas said he chose La Roche because La Roche provided a great learning environment where he could interact with professors in an intimate setting, which gave him an education and an opportunity to learn as opposed to simply earning a degree from a large university. He also mentioned that La Roche afforded him the opportunity to still work, be close to home, and play golf. Haas stated that being a student-athlete helped him prepare to work through struggles. "I went to what I learned in sports and that is getting back to basics and making sure my fundamentals are sound. There are no shortcuts in life. We must be ready to work for what we want to accomplish and that was instilled in me at La Roche,” said Haas. 

Haas’s Favorite La Roche Memory 

ECAC Championships, Saratoga Springs, NY, Fall 2001.

"I qualified as an individual for the event and admittedly wasn’t playing my best.  Tink still saw to it that I represented the school in the tournament, so he drove me eight hours each way. 

I didn’t play well, shot 80–81, and felt like I let him down. He made me feel a lot better about myself by misreading the itinerary for the banquet. 

We showed up nearly two hours late while the program was wrapping up. We walked in, realized it was over, did a quick spin move and grabbed a makeshift dinner from a local convenience store, returning back to the hotel to watch the World Series. We laughed at ourselves all night. What could have been a forgettable weekend turned out to be one of my greatest memories."

Advice for Student Athletes

"These will be some of the best times of your life. The bonds you form and the adversity you overcome; slow down and enjoy these years before you leave them."

The Distinguished Alumni Series is part of the AMCC's 25th anniversary where the conference will be recognizing former AMCC student-athletes who have excelled in their area of study. The Distinguished Alumni Series will run every Thursday throughout the academic year.