I have yet to meet Rick Hill, but his name is very familiar to me as he has had jobs with the San Antonio Riders, the San Antonio Missions, the San Antonio Spurs, and is currently the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Valero Alamo Bowl. We connected through LinkedIn.
Where are you from?
I was born in Philadelphia but grew up in St. Louis.
What brought you to San Antonio?
I came to San Antonio to attend Trinity University.
How did you get the job with the San Antonio Riders?
I answered a classified ad for them needing salespeople.
How did you get the job with the San Antonio Missions?
I asked for an informational interview with their GM Burl Yarbrough. After we talked, he offered me a seasonal position.
The two best players I saw at the Missions were Raul Mondesi and Mike Piazza.
Raul had the strongest arm I’ve ever seen in person as standing by the dugout I could hear the ball making a whizzing sound when he threw the ball from the outfield.
Mike Piazza was an unheralded draft pick, but hit double after double in the cavernous VJ Keefe Stadium and quickly got promoted to the Dodgers. I remember seeing him take the call on the pay phone outside the locker room.
How did you get the job with the San Antonio Spurs?
My college friend Tom James was the PR director and offered me a part-time job proofreading the media guide. While doing that I interviewed for an opening in their community relations department which I got.
I worked with four all-world talents and good people in Sean Elliott, George Gervin, Avery Johnson, and David Robinson. I wasn’t on staff for the Spurs championships, but I did get to attend the 2014 NBA Finals when the Spurs clinched the title with my family
How did you get the job as a blogger for San Antonio Express-News?
They started a program called City Lights where they recruited volunteers to tell their stories about living in San Antonio.
How did you get the job as adjunct professor at Trinity?
After helping mentor students and participating on panels, I was asked to.
For those who want to work in sports, get as many relevant experiences and meet as many people as you can from the time you step onto campus. Sports jobs are in high demand, so getting exposure to different jobs and networking will help set you apart.
How did you get the job at the Alamo Bowl?
I left the Spurs to move to Denver during the 1999 lockout. When I decided to move back, my boss from Spurs (Alison Fox) recommended me to her husband Derrick who runs the Valero Alamo Bowl.
In my 25 years at the Valero Alamo Bowl, there are 3-4 players each year that standout for there performance on and off the field. Of those 75-100 players, the ones I talk about the most are:
Robert Griffin III who led Baylor to a 67-56 game, TCU’s Bram Kohlhausen who put together an unbelievable second half comeback, and Bijan Robinson who rushed for a record 18.3 yards a carry as Texas scored 55 points.
What does Rick do for fun?
Reads non-fiction, plays pickleball, rides bikes, and travels with my family.
