- Paul Capoccia left his former job to become director of esports in the Marywood University
- The man was a former student in the establishment and had a real passion for making things work
- The university wasn’t excited for esports at first but is now moving towards the goal of having a 2000 square foot arena in the Nazareth student center
A passionate young graduate from Marywood risks everything by leaving his job and applying to be a director of esports in the university.
Paul Capoccia’s Esports Dream
Paul Capoccia is a native to Dunmore, from the Scranton area. He graduated from the Marywood University. The young man has grown to love the area and the university he studied in. Moreover, he is a dedicated gamer, deeply interested in esports and collegiate leagues.
Thus, in February 2020, amidst the first peek of the COVID-19 crisis, Capoccia risked everything by leaving his former job as a digital assets administrator at Penn Foster and going on an eleven-month journey to be admitted as an esports director in the Marywood University he so loved.
The idea of an esports program at Marywood was born in 2016 when Capoccia was prompted to create a business plan for a student’s competition.
He got second place, but something had sparked inside him. He wanted to work on that plan, not only as a school competition project but also to turn it into a reality.
So Capoccia pitched the plan to the university.
The director of athletics, Patrick Murphy, revealed that he was a little bit skeptical of the idea of competitive video gaming and collegiate leagues. So Capoccia had hard times ahead of him and was turned down several times.
However, Paul Capoccia didn’t stop didn’t want to be just any esports director but to be specifically Marywood’s esports director. Sure, he had times where he was crestfallen as his idea wasn’t immediately accepted, but as a former student in the university, he held deep sentiments for the establishment and wanted to make it even more appealing for the students to come.
Passion Drives Marywood Esports Success
Capoccia knew he wanted to work in the gaming sphere. He had to gain experience and prove himself to Marywood. The now-esports director started off in 2019 as a volunteer coach at the Lackawanna Falcons esports team. Then, as he left his job at Penn Foster, one of the Falcons acquainted him with another team called Third Impact that was looking for a commentator.
The job as a commentator opened many doors for Capoccia. He got to know new people and learn a lot of things.
Paul Capoccia’s hard work paid off when near the end of 2020, Marywood warmed up to the idea of an esports league. Capoccia immediately applied and was chosen over countless other people. His dedication through all these months hadn’t gone unnoticed by the university’s board.
Patrick Murphy commented that he was “struck by Paul’s passion.” Murphy believes that such passion flatters the university and helps to grow its popularity in the future. Lackawanna and Keystone College already offer bachelor programs in esports and gaming management that attract gaming-passionate students from everywhere. It is time for Marywood to do the same.
Today's Marywood envisions following the local trends and starting to participate in the three most popular games around League of Legends, Rocket League, and Overwatch. Moreover, the establishment aims to have its very own esports arena in the Nazareth Student Center that will run by the majors in arts and communications help. The arena is planned to take up 2000 square feet on the first floor.
The once gaming-skeptical Marywood is now steadily moving towards becoming one of the leading forces in collegiate esports.
