"21 Questions with the Knights" is a feature that will run weekly providing a more in-depth view of coaches and staff within the Neumann University Athletics Department. This week the segment will focus on Assistant Athletic Director / Director of Campus Recreation Dave Deal, who is entering his eighth year at Neumann.
 
Question 1: What is your favorite Neumann sports memory?
Freshman year at Neumann. The NCAA adopted an all-wood bat rule that year and felt like a throwback to old school days playing with wooden bats. I was the backup catcher that year, but got to play quite a bit. Our team was actually really good and we entered the conference championships as the #1 seed. The games were played at the Blue Rocks stadium and I can still remember hitting the cage underneath the bleachers, sitting in the dugouts, and stepping out onto the field to play where past, present, and future major leaguers have also played. That team was recently inducted into Neumann's Athletic Hall of Fame and I got to catch up with a lot of my teammates at the ceremony. Great memories and great group of guys. 

Question 2: Who are some other coaches who inspire you?
My dad coached most of the teams my brother and I played when we were younger. He was always so even keel and made it a priority to ensure that everyone played – regardless of the score. This was sometimes a point of contention with me because I wanted to win and would generally be the person subbed out (he would rather his kids play a few less minutes than someone else), but have come to realize that he was simply prioritizing what was most important when we were that young – learning and enjoying the game and supporting each other as friends and teammates.

Question 3: Who is your favorite professional athlete (current or retired)?
I started catching when I was 10 years old and continued all the way through college. This is going to sound a bit crazy but the player I admired most as a catcher was NOT a member of our favorite team – the Phillies! The player that I actually tried to model myself after was Sandy Alomar, Jr. He was just solid behind the plate and always seemed to be consistent force for the Indians. When I wasn't catching, I was generally playing second base so another favorite of mine was Craig Biggio. He was a smaller guy (comparably to other major leaguers and something that I can certainly admire) and a catcher before moving full time to second base – just an unbelievable player and one of my favorites. 

Question 4: What are three favorite movies that you can watch any time?
61*, We Were Soldiers, and Battleship are the first three that come to mind. There are a ton of other though – I'm a big movie fan.     

Question 5: What are some of the last few concerts you've been to?
The best concert I've ever been to was Tom Petty at the Spectrum. It was one of the last few concerts at the Spectrum and the place was packed. He put on an unbelievable show. 

Question 6: What are your favorite shows to binge watch?
You really can't go wrong with anything on Netflix or Amazon Prime. During quarantine, I caught up on Ozark, Narcos Mexico, and Animal Kingdom. My wife and I also just started The Hunters on Prime.

Question 7: What is something unique and interesting about you?
Prior to returning to Neumann as a member of the athletic department, I spent 10 years working in professional sports. The first six plus years were with the Philadelphia KiXX (professional indoor soccer team) and the final three and half were in DC where I was the Sr. Director of Business Development with the Washington Wizards (NBA) and Mystics (WNBA).  I also had the pleasure of two professional internships – the first during the inaugural season of the Camden Riversharks and the second at the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Question 8: How did you find your way to Neumann?
I'll talk about how I initially found my way to Neumann for my undergraduate degree. I was at another university's open house with my parents during the visit, I inquired about their sports management program. Upon hearing that they didn't have one and was informed my best option would be to get an undergrad in business and then a masters in sports management. Well, that was enough for me so we decided to leave. I remembered receiving an info packet in the mail from Neumann and it included the potential scholarship amount that I would be eligible for. With that in mind and being that my parents had both taken the day off at work we decided to drive down to Neumann. The rest is history.  

Question 9: What do you do in your spare time besides working in athletics?
Pretty much whatever my two daughters tell me!  When they do give me some time off, I am usually doing some type of home improvement projects. 

Question 10: Do you have any pets?
We have a female black lab named Bailey, who will be 13 years old in December. My wife and I adopted her as a young puppy right after we bought our first house and she's been a member of the family ever since. 

Question 11: What did you want to be when you grew up?
I quickly realized that I didn't have the physical attributes (or talent) to be a major league baseball player so I shifted my focus to the business side and wanted to be a general manager.

Question 12: How are you spending your time during the quarantine?
Lots of family time … generally includes a few afternoons each week at my in-laws swimming in the pool, lots of UNO games, and sometimes a little too much family time to the point we drive each other bit nutty - but we all love and support one another and wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else! 

Question 13: What was your first car?
1985 Ford Tempo. I thought it was great – to the point that I put a big box (with two eight-inch speakers) and an amp in the trunk. And yet for some reason, my buddy and I decided that it wasn't loud enough so we ripped out about half of the padding in the back seat so the music really came through.  We hard-wired the amp to the battery and it was so strong that it constantly blew out the fuse for my dash lights. I had no idea how fast I was driving at night!  Eventually the amp just gave up and the wire actually caught fire in my trunk … thankfully no damage to anyone or my car – just a few charred marks and the nasty burnt plastic smell.

Question 14: If you could have one superpower what would it be?
The ability to fly. I was always a big fan of Superman and would absolutely love the ability to simply just take off and fly to wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted.   

Question 15: What is the most recent book you've read?
I'm a pretty big reader – all about nonfiction though - and try to read at least a few pages every night. I just finished The Splendid and the Vile – a book focused on Winston Churchill's handling of WWII in his first year as Prime Minister all the way until the point that the U.S. joined in the war.  I will say one of my favorite books from the past few years was Shoe Dog, which was Phil Knight's path to creating Nike. I came away with an entirely new level of appreciation and overall genuine respect for Phil Knight – the man hustled and worked unbelievably hard on his quest to create and build his vision. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for their next book. 

Question 16: What is your favorite vacation spot?
My wife and I spent a week in Aruba for our honeymoon and absolutely loved every minute of it. We definitely want to get back there! But right now, vacations are fairly simple – a few days at one of the beaches – we've been to most in DE and NJ – just trying to unwind and enjoy the weather. 

Question 17: What is the best thing about working at Neumann?
Not to be redundant on every one's answer here, but it's easily the people. From my first steps on campus as an undergrad to returning as a member of the athletic department, it was obvious to me that what made Neumann so great were the personal relationships. Secondly, the best thing about working at Neumann – seeing and interacting as much as possible with Sr. Marguerite and Sr. Linda – love those two and they are without question the heart and soul of Neumann! 

Question 18: What is/was your favorite board game to play?
Easy one – UNO. The classic version is the best but the family has enjoyed the newer versions of UNO Attack – both my daughters get immense enjoyment when they push the button when it's my turn and a whole mess of cards shoot out – and UNO Flip. UNO Flip has a light and dark side – light is pretty much the standard version, but the dark side is a whole new ball game – it raises the stakes with Draw Fives! 

Question 19: What was cool when you were young, but isn't cool now?
Pagers. This was pre-cell phone days and you weren't cool until you had a pager. You had to be somewhere with a landline so you could call them back, but you still felt pretty cool when your pager went off.  

Question 20: What is your go to restaurant for amazing food?
Antica. It is an Italian restaurant in Chadds Ford and everything is absolutely delicious.  My go to is Veal Coronato – makes my mouth water just typing the name. 

Question 21: What habit do you have now that you wish you could've started earlier?
Running or really just exercising in general. Despite being an athlete of some kind for the vast majority of my life, I despised running and working out. I have gotten into the past few years and actually try to work out at least five or six times each, three-to-four of which consist of some type of run. I have completed a handful of 5ks in the year and half and scheduled for my first Broad Street Run next month (unfortunately it will be virtual this year).