Tenacity, Teamwork, Goals

When Nancy Grasso Barry, B.A.’85, is asked if her experience as a University at Albany athlete had any impact on her career, she launches into “a story I tell everybody.”

“I had an interview for a job I really wanted, but all the interviewers wanted to talk about was basketball,” recalls the White Plains attorney, who majored in political science at Albany and played center on the women’s basketball team. “Later, I told my dad, ‘I don’t think I got the job. All they did was ask me about basketball.’ A few hours later, someone called and asked me to another interview the next week. This time, I met with four partners; again, all they talked about was basketball.”

Barry was subsequently invited to lunch—and offered the job. Delighted but slightly confused, she remarked to the quartet: “‘All you ever asked me about was basketball! I was on the Law Review and in the top 5 percent of my class.’ They told me: ‘We get hundreds of résumés every week. Everybody is on the Law Review. Everybody is in the top 5 or 10 percent of his or her class. We’re all athletes, and when it gets to be late at night and papers are due, we need a team player who knows how to deal with pressure.’ They were looking for team spirit and a competitive edge.” One of those lawyer-athletes, Barry notes, was George Pataki—now governor of New York.

After graduating from Pace University Law School in 1989 and joining her “law team,” the 5-foot-11 Barry found that her athletic training came in handy in another way. “When something was easy, we’d say it was ‘a lay-up,’” she recounts, noting that the language of sports was a part of the work environment. Today, when she receives a résumé at the firm of Sweeney & Barry, where she is “of counsel,” Barry, too, looks for “something that sets the applicant apart”—just as Pataki and his former partner-athletes did.

A self-described “rabid golfer,” Barry, now 36, still plays basketball and softball “when I can,” and also enjoys golfing, swimming, and other activities with her husband, Kevin, and children, Kevin Jr., 7, and Meghan, 5. In addition, she coaches Little League, T-ball, and the basketball team at her local school.

At Albany, Barry was a defensive force and rebounding leader. As a senior, she was a tri-captain and helped lead the team to a 23-4 record. “I have a great deal of respect for Nancy,” said her coach, Mari Warner. “She was a banger inside and a real physical player. I also loved her sense of humor.”

Barry, who graduated cum laude, is now a member of the University Athletics Council, which is raising funds for scholarships for student-athletes, and the University at Albany Lawyers Association. She calls Albany’s move to Division I “a great thing,” and anticipates that the University will continue to “attract the same caliber of student by placing academics first.”

“Playing a sport helped me balance my time better; I didn’t have time to goof off,” said Barry, adding that the Division I affiliation will heighten the University’s visibility and also afford more occasions for the campus and the community to come together.

The chair of the Athletics Council, Robert Fortune, who played Division I basketball at Lehigh University, agrees with Barry. “As a lifelong resident of this community, I can say that the level of competition at Division I will certainly interest the community,” said Fortune, who is vice president of construction management services at Barry, Bette&Led Duke, Inc. “Athletics is becoming a prominent part of our society, and I believe Division I athletics will serve as an important link between the University and the community.”

Hall of Fame track star Winsome Foderingham, B.A.’89, M.P.A.’92, adds, “There will be more media exposure, allowing our talent to be seen by a wider audience. Many times, these stories are a source of inspiration for young people—including prospective Division I student-athletes. As an alum, I’ll be glad to see more support at the home and away games, better facilities, and even higher expectations for students, both academically and athletically.”

Now the education coordinator for the University’s Center for Technology in Government, Foderingham earned her undergraduate degree in psychology. She competed in the 100- and 200-meter dash, 400- and 1600-meter relays, 100- and 50-meter hurdles, and the long jump. At one time she held ten school records. Her records in the 100-meter dash (11.79) and 50-meter hurdles (7.5) still stand. Now 37, Foderingham still competes occasionally at local track meets. She credits her track experience with helping her to clear some hurdles in real life. “I developed determination and the tenacity to stick with difficult or nearly impossible situations. Through the valuable experiences of winning and losing, teamwork and individual competition, I learned the importance of working hard to attain a goal.”

Another Hall of Famer, Jeffrey O’Donnell, B.A.’74, who was a football, lacrosse, and soccer standout, says he also learned to work hard, set goals, and make adjustments to ensure improvement and success. O’Donnell, who resides in Montgomeryville, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb, with his wife, Barbara, and sons Matthew, 14; Thomas, 12; and Brian, 9, learned something else at Albany: “I want to be the best I can be. That’s what I tell my boys. And I want the University to be the best it can be at what it does—academically, in the arts, in sports. Division I, which represents the highest levels of competition, is part of Albany’s commitment to being the best it can be.”

The step up to Division I, O’Donnell is convinced, will “help to generate more money for the University and bring Albany the recognition it deserves. It will also add to the quality of life on campus for all students.”

O’Donnell, who majored in history at Albany, was a four-time letter winner and twice co-captain in lacrosse. He graduated as Albany’s all-time lacrosse scorer with 40 goals and 34 assists. O’Donnell never played organized football until college, becoming the starting safety during the ’71 season, when the program was a club team. In 1983, he graduated with honors from St. John’s University School of Law and is now an assistant general counsel for Unisys Corp. “Athletics has always been an anchor for me, a stabilizing factor in my life,” he said.

Now 47, O’Donnell coaches his sons’ soccer and lacrosse teams and still plays both sports competitively himself. Last summer, he played in the Lacrosse World Championship in Baltimore. “It was a blast! My sons and my wife had never really seen me play competitively before. The team name? ‘Old Glory.’ We named it for the flag—and for ourselves!”