Not every 53-year-old can claim to have served as a senior officer of NASCAR, the president of IMG, and the founder a successful international business, on top of many other notable accomplishments. This, however, is the life of Choate alumnus Chris Pyne IV ’84, who spoke to hundreds of Choate’s student-athletes and faculty in the PMAC theatre last Monday.
During the presentation, Mr. Pyne shared some of his favorite quotations that for him translate into life lessons. “Failure is not the sin. Fear of failure is the sin. Most successful people fail. I like getting knocked down, but I also like getting back up,” said Mr. Pyne. Mr. Pyne advised students to make themselves uncomfortable and to put themselves in challenging positions.
Mr. Pyne was excited by the opportunity to return to his alma mater. “Choate was transformational for me in my life, so when I had the opportunity to come back and talk to the students, I was pretty excited about that opportunity, to share whatever perspectives I might be able to share,” he said.
The event was organized by Mr. Dan Courcey, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations, and Mr. Roney Eford, Director of Athletics. Mr. Eford interviewed Mr. Pyne on stage. “The format was a little tricky,” Mr. Eford said, “because it’s all about the environment. You want to make it as inviting as possible. I wanted it to be a little more informal and inviting, so that he could expand upon his answers.”
Mr. Courcey spoke about the goal of a talk like this, stating, “Our objective with this was to inspire and inform our student athletes and coaches. After all, it’s not every day that we have an opportunity to bring a successful, nationally prominent Choate alumnus (a former student athlete himself, no less!) to come to campus and speak informally with some of our students and teachers.” Mr. Courcey added, “It’s rare for Choate to ‘hit the pause button’ and do something like this.”
Mr. Pyne spoke about the importance of balance, namely between sports and academics; learning how to adapt, because connecting with others is crucial; the importance of sleep on athletes’ recovery; and that one’s best is always enough.
Mr. Pyne attended Choate as a football post-graduate during the 1983-1984 school year. He came in hopes of expanding his college opportunities, but found much more waiting for him. The experience, he said, “was really transformative for me, especially in writing. I learned how to write, how to express myself and think logically, and that was something I was able to carry with me throughout my college education and life. I learned how to think at Choate.”
Mr. Pyne went on, “Coming in, it was very difficult. Choate was very academically challenging for me. I just remember all the support I got from the teachers, the students, and faculty. I remember working really hard and getting a lot of help from people. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”
Since graduating from Choate, Mr. Pyne has accumulated an impressive resume of achievements, including being named one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business by the Sports Business Journal. On Monday, he joked about the award. “I don’t know that I’m influential,” he said. “Other people say you’re influential. We had a lot of success at NASCAR when I was there, we had a lot of success at IMG, and now with Bruin Sports Capital, so that’s probably why I’ve gotten recognition.”
Mr. Pyne added, “When you’re a person with a platform, what do you do with that platform? I’ve been involved in various charity initiatives. Right now, I’m on the board of Catholic Charities. I’m trying to use my influence to help other people.”
During Monday’s discussion, Mr. Pyne drew parallels between athletics and business. “In business you’re going to win,” he said. “You need to learn how to win, and you can’t brag. In business you’re also going to lose. You have to learn how to lose. And in business, you’ll never be successful if you’re not a good teammate.”
Students and faculty had mixed reactions to the presentation, especially the format. “He’s a really cool guy who obviously has accomplished a lot in life. I think we should all be grateful he came,” said Delaney Dill ’20. But, Dill added, “I just wish they would’ve asked him some better questions because he had a lot to give, and I don’t think they allowed him to do that.”
Others, however, found value in Mr. Pyne’s message. “I think he has powerful messages for all of us. I loved his message about diversity of thought. I didn’t see that one coming, and it’s one that we really value here at Choate. We value it not just in athletics, but in all walks of life on campus,” stated Mr. Eford. Said Levin, “I thought he was very impressive.”
Many students expressed positive feedback and excitement that they were able to meet and hear from someone so accomplished in sports. Others said that they found it difficult to relate to the speaker. “I thought he had some valuable stuff to say, but I didn’t really think it applied much to being a student-athlete,” said Liam Podos ’20. “I thought it was more towards sports business and how to make money.”
Andrew Howie ’20 agreed, adding, “He focused on the business behind sports rather than just the sports themselves.”
In the coming years, Mr. Eford hopes to bring in more speakers, and with them, more inspiration. “I would like to bring in something that’s just different. Something that could just make us think. That we leave that PMAC, like, ‘Hmm. You know what? Wow.’ ”
At the end of his presentation, Mr. Pyne left the Choate community with a final question: “To every person in this room: There are very few things you can’t do if you put your mind to it. The question is: What are you going to do about it?”
