Q&A with Northampton HS athletic director David Proulx
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — We took a minute to catch up with David Proulx, Director of Athletics at Northampton High School.
How did you get into this job?
David Proulx: I just started my second year here. I spent from 2009 to 2021 in the athletic department at Western New England University. I started as an athletic assistant in the front office and ended up as the assistant athletic director [overseeing 19 sports]. I was also the assistant women鈥檚 basketball coach. I still help there when I can. I鈥檒l go to games on Saturdays and I also help with recruiting. It keeps me in basketball, too.
Did you play basketball growing up?
Proulx: It was always my favorite sport. I went to college at Boston University and got a psychology degree. While I always enjoyed psychology, I managed the men鈥檚 basketball team there and got to travel all over the country. That鈥檚 why after graduating I sought out a career in Sport Management after going to graduate school at Springfield College.
Do you still play basketball?
Proulx: [laughs] Unless you鈥檙e talking about drills, no. We鈥檙e a big basketball family. My wife is the associate athletic director at Elms College, and we have a seven-year-old daughter that really likes it.
What鈥檚 it like being the athletic director at NHS?
Proulx: In a broad sense I oversee all the sports [7 in fall, 9 in winter, 10 in spring] and the coaches; organize transportation and set game schedules between the opposing schools; and handle compliance with the MIAA [Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association] and the school鈥檚 academic and attendance policies.
What鈥檚 the biggest difference between playing sports and coaching?
Proulx: Your passion for it鈥檚 the same but the lens that you view it through is different. As a player you鈥檙e playing it for the love of the sport, the competition, the camaraderie you get with your teammates. You get into coaching because you love the competitive aspect and the lessons it can teach about teamwork and dedication and discipline.
What do you hope to pass on to student-athletes as athletic director?
Proulx: I have a wedding of one of the former [WNEU] players that I鈥檓 going to on Sunday. It鈥檚 amazing the number of kids that you coach and end up attending their weddings or meeting their babies. Games can be wins and losses, but those sorts of things are temporary. I just hope that everybody that comes through the athletic programs here leaves having learned things about themselves and about all those things that sports can teach.
What鈥檚 a favorite sports memory at NHS?
Proulx: There鈥檚 one that sticks out right away. I made the decision to leave WNEU and was able to move into this role at the end of May 2021. Normally that would be pretty much the end of the season, but because we were coming out of COVID, the spring season had really been pushed back. I think I might have only been two weeks in when our baseball team won western Mass for the first time since 1995. That was a lot of fun: We hosted the [Division 1] final and won. Last fall our golf team went undefeated and won western Mass, and our women鈥檚 track-and-field team in the spring won western Mass. It鈥檚 fun to be able to see those types of accomplishments, to go to the home games and get to know the student-athletes and get settled into the Northampton community. My favorite part of the job is watching the games and seeing the student-athletes play.
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