Miami Marlins Manager Don Mattingly spoke to a small group of Klein College of Media and Communication students, faculty and staff on Wednesday, September 7 in Charles Library.  

The conversation was the first of an ongoing series being kicked off by Klein College’s Claire Smith Center for Sports Media, home to the undergraduate sports media certificate.  

During the event, Claire Smith, co-director of the center, and Klein Assistant Professor Lauren Bullock moderated a conversation with Mattingly, whose career Smith covered during her time at The New York Times and ESPN. A select number of students from Temple’s media outlets and sports media certificate classes also had the opportunity to interview Mattingly following his conversation with Smith and Bullock. 

“I knew this would be a great opportunity for me to come out here, get to network a little bit, get to meet some people, and get to hear from the legend himself, Don Mattingly,” said Taylor Hess, a junior journalism major who filmed the event for Temple Update’s TU Sports Desk.   

In his 14-year Major League Baseball playing career, Mattingly won an American League record nine Gold Glove awards, was named to the American League All-Star team six times, won the 1984 American League batting title, and won the 1985 American League Most Valuable Player award. The Yankees retired his number 23 and later welcomed him back as a coach under then-manager Joe Torre.  

Mattingly served as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011 to 2015 before taking on that role with the Marlins in 2016. 

During the hour-long conversation, Mattingly covered everything from the struggles of managing individual player brands while trying to keep a team cohesive to having a successful mindset and focusing on the game.  

He also gave a wealth of advice to the aspiring sports media professionals in the room.  

“You don’t want to be that personality, and be someone that you’re not,” he advised. “If you’re trying to be someone that you’re not, then you’re always acting.” 

Mattingly’s visit is just one of many highlights of the Claire Smith Center so far, and Smith believes it bodes quite well for the future of the center and the sports media professionals it is producing. 

“Don Mattingly, an early and ardent supporter of the center, got to meet some of Temple’s best and brightest budding journalists today. It was magical,” she said. “Don and the youngsters demonstrated the power of good conversation, mutual respect and inquisitive minds. This glimpse into the futures of our young journalists, as well as that of the center, was simply enthralling.” 

"There are so many reasons why we’re fortunate to have someone like Claire here and to have a center named after her, and today was a prime example of that,” said John DiCarlo, co-director of the center. “Don’s team was in town to play the Phillies, and he made time to be here before he went down to the ballpark because of the respect he has for Claire.  

“Claire is a Hall of Fame sportswriter, and a big part of that foundation comes from her being a consummate pro. She treated the players she covered fairly. They don’t forget that, and you could see today from the mutual respect that they share for one another that Don never forgot that.” 

“Not only did Mattingly share insights into working with the media, he also shared valuable leadership lessons that our future sports media and public relations students will carry into their professional roles,” Bullock said.