Adam Fron is a Football Strategy & Participation Analyst at the Houston Texans football team and attended the University at Buffalo.
1) What do you do as a Football Strategy & Participation Analyst?
As a Football Strategy & Participation Analyst, I assist both the coaching staff and scouting department on a daily basis. For the coaches, I assist with weekly game planning; generating opponent material and assisting with the scout team at practice. For the scouting department, I write evaluations on players across the league and assist with the Draft process. In my first role with the Houston Texans as an Operations Assistant, I was more involved in the day-to-day operation of the football team. This included serving the players on roster in daily shuttle rides and helping out at practice in multiple different capacities.
2) What is your educational background and how did it influence you to go into the sports industry?
I completed my undergrad at Ithaca College where I also played Quarterback on the football team under Head Coach Mike Welch. I majored in Business Administration & concentrated in both marketing & sport management. I also completed work study as an intern for the college’s athletic department. A combination of my playing experience and taking courses in the field continued to fuel my interest in working in sports post college. After graduating, I volunteered for the University at Buffalo football team under Head Coach Lance Leipold where I eventually worked my way up to a Graduate Assistant Coach. I considered my 3 years with UB as my “masters” in the industry, where I also took grad level classes for a semester.
3) What, if anything, do you wish you would have known prior to entering into this industry?
My advice to students / those wishing to get into the industry is to always study the makeup of different organizations. This is how I began to learn what different types of jobs are out there & how you can discover where your interests translate & align in different organizations.
4) What organizations, clubs or internships were you involved in during college? How did those experiences help prepare you for your current role?
My role as a Marketing & Promotions Intern for Ithaca College’s Athletic Department helped me gain experience in the field, get a feel for the hours expected to work in the industry, and fulfill a dream of working closely with sports. Would recommend all students to work for their school’s athletic department or directly for a team on campus at some point in their college careers.
5) What are the biggest challenges that you typically face in your career?
Not necessarily challenges, but things to make students aware of about the industry: In season, we work every single day and over 80 hours a week. Specifically in football, major holidays fall within our season. While being away, I miss this time with my family in addition to weddings and other events friends and family may have. To get an opportunity, you may also need to move across the country like I did. Many sacrifices may be needed to be made!
6) What other advice do you have for anyone that would want to pursue working in sports?
Get involved, in any way you can. A lot of these jobs and positions are extremely competitive; how does your resume stand out from the hundreds (sometimes thousands) of other applicants? My first role with the Texans came from perfect timing and networking.
7) If a UB student wanted to talk with you, what is the best way to reach you?
I always welcome students to reach out with any questions / resume help / whatever they need. I would not be where I am today without the multiple mentors that have helped me throughout my career. I will always do what I can to help pay it forward and help others achieve their dreams and goals.
Please add me on LinkedIn – Adam Fron. When students reach out, I like to put faces to a name and look at some of their own experiences too.
You can also find me on Connect-a-Bull, UB’s new alumni-student networking platform.
