(EDITOR’S NOTE - This is the fourth in a series of articles that will appear in the Times News on Thursdays during the summer, highlighting former area coaches and athletes as they reflect on their careers and discuss their current endeavors.)

Dedan Brozino’s office in Pasadena, California, is roughly 2,700 miles away from his native Lehighton.

The former Indian football and baseball standout has become one of the major sports executive officers in the country in his role as president of Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, as well as its chief development officer and member of the executive leadership team.

But Brozino hasn’t forgotten his hometown values, and knows the lessons from his youth have helped shape him into the Californian he is today.

“I have brought my small town work ethic out here,” said Brozino, a 2002 Lehighton High School graduate. “I have never lost track of what I was taught growing up in a small town. Our fathers told us that we had to work for everything we wanted.

“It is a different environment out here, but I am still the same person I was in Lehighton. It is just a matter of working as hard as I can every single day to be the best I can be.”

Brozino is a graduate of DeSales University, where he was a standout baseball player. He was a member of the 2003 Bulldog team that advanced to the NCAA Division 3 World Series.

While at DeSales, Brozino worked in the sports information office under B.J. Spigelmeyer, who he credited as beginning his venture in the sports working world.

“I was working mostly on press releases, and I also got to delve into some marketing,” said Brozino. “I owe my start to B.J. He is a true professional, and really showed me the ropes of the sports world. I felt pretty comfortable when I left there.”

Spigelmeyer - who has been in his position at DeSales for the last 23 years - clearly saw signs of Bronzio’s grit and determination.

“Dedan was one of my very first student workers when I started in the Fall of 2000,” said Spigelmeyer. “Dedan was exceptional. Whatever I taught him, he did well and often would expand on things in his own way just to learn more. He was very self-motivated, and always wanted to learn more.

“I’ve been at DeSales for 23 years, and have had a lot of really hard-working students who have gone on to great things. But Dedan was and still remains one of the best I’ve ever had. He’s so hard-working, and always has been someone looking for ways to do things better and/or expand on the jobs he is doing. I remember him as always being full of ideas, and wanting to explore things in different ways to try and do them better.”

Upon graduation, Brozino and his then girlfriend and future wife Danielle, decided to head west and settled in Huntington Beach, California. Danielle was also a DeSales graduate and former Bulldog athlete - having played softball during her time at school.

Brozono didn’t see the move as a potential culture shock.

“My wife’s family was from San Diego, so it wasn’t bad for her or for me,” added Brozino. “I knew I had to be in a big market, and I was anxious to come out here. I felt pretty confident even though I was coming from a small town. It is fast-paced out here, but you just have to keep your head down and move forward.

“I had to learn my craft and saw it through. Coming here checked all the boxes.”

He began as a graduate assistant at Long Beach State University and pursued his master’s degree at the same time. Ten years later, Brozino worked his way to the position of senior associate athletic director at Long Beach before he left for the Rose Bowl in 2015.

Since then, Brozino, who had concentrated his efforts on fundraising, has surpassed a goal of $40 million for the stadium centennial campaign – the Rose Bowl celebrated 100 years in 2022 – that was set in 2017. He also secured $13.7 million in state and federal grants for stadium safety.

Brozino also has overseen the recent Rose Bowl Institute educational initiative, which promotes sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship through educational programs, focused dialogues, awards and scholarships. Public donations have allowed the program to remain free of charge.

Since its launch just two years ago, the Rose Bowl Institute has impacted and reached over 25,000 youth and community members in 33 states and seven countries.

“We are proud and excited about the youth program,” said Brozino. “It really helps to teach what sports is all about. The younger generation shouldn’t lose sight of what sports can be about and what they can teach.”

Being the chief promoter of the site that hosts the college football bowl game that is often-referred to as the “granddaddy of them all,” Brozino believes the game hasn’t lost any of its luster despite the heavy influx of bowl games across the country and the advent of the College Football Playoffs.

“The Rose Bowl is still very prominent here and throughout the country,” he said. “The Tournament of Roses parade is still one of the main events of New Year’s Day. There is still a lot of pomp and circumstance associated with the events. The Rose Bowl is a generational football chapel, and it is bigger than all of us.

“The game still has good optics, and we will be involved with the College Football Playoffs. We have the Olympics coming back to LA in 2028. We recently had 80,000 people for a soccer game on July 4. The game and the stadium are still a vibrant option.”

One person who can attest to the pageantry of the Rose Bowl and Brozino’s presence in maintaining it is Bill Brong - his former football coach at Lehighton. Brong attended last year’s game as his former quarterback’s guest.

“It takes your breath away being there,” said Brong. “And it’s amazing how big of a deal Dedan is out there. Everybody knows him. He is the man. He can strike up a conversation with anybody. I was flabbergasted because he is the main cog to the stadium and the game.”

Brong also recognized how Brozino hasn’t changed his demeanor.

“As big as he has become, he is still a down-to-earth guy,” said Brong. “He is still connected to Lehighton. When we talk, he still brings up games, and can describe them pretty vividly. It doesn’t surprise me how far he has advanced with his career. He is a very genuine person.”

As for his high school career, Brozino still has plenty of vivid memories of senior season when the Indians beat Nazareth in the District 11 Class 3A championship game. Lehighton moved on to the state quarterfinals, but they were eliminated by Selinsgrove - a game in which Brozino broke his collarbone making a tackle while playing linebacker.

“I remember the Nazareth game very well,” said Brozino about the district tittle game. “Nazareth went for it on fourth down about three or four times, and we had stopped them every time,” said Brozino. “Coach Brong came into one of our huddles and screamed at us about Nazareth not respecting us.

“On one of those plays, Tyler LaBar hit their quarterback, and Dan Long scooped up the ball and took it in for a score. Shane Smith, who tragically passed away, sealed the game for us with a 75-yard touchdown run.

Brozino can still recall the excitement that game generated in the community.

“I remember seeing fans five or six deep in the end zone,” he said. “When Shane scored, he went over and handed the ball to his dad and the rest was history. We showed the fight we had as a team.

“We all learned how to compete at a very young age. We had one of the best teams in school history, and we are still in contact with each other. That season was a lot of fun.”

Long, his former high school teammate, has known Brozino since the fourth grade. Like Brong, he isn’t surprised by his success.

“He always wanted to work in sports management and with sports statistics and figures,” said Long. “I knew he would be doing something like this. He has always been a leader.

“When we played football together, he was always asking us to pick it up and kick someone’s butt. Dedan is still the same person, and he doesn’t have a big ego with his position. We still talk on a regular basis.”

Tim Maher is another lifetime friend, as the two met in preschool. They played sports together and attended the same church. Maher could foresee success for him down the road.

“Dedan always was driven to be successful, and he was usually pretty good at whatever he tried,” said Maher. I think the thing that stood out was that even though he worked hard, he was always able to have fun, too. .

“Some of my favorite memories with him are the little stories and inside jokes that still make us laugh all these years later.”

Brozino said he cherishes every moment of his current life with Danielle and children Bryn (11) and Carsten (8).

“I feel very blessed for where I am and for what I have,” said Brozino. “It has been a matter of ‘sticktoitiveness’ for me. When you come from a small town, I think it helps prepare you for your future.

“I have appreciated every moment along the way, and I know I have to keep the same approach moving forward. It has been a lot of fun.”

For Brozino, the distance from Lehighton to Pasadena isn’t measured in miles. It’s measured in lessons learned and great memories.

And when you look at it like that, it’s not too far away.