ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Lauren Boczek living unexpected dream in Indianapolis
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MORGANTOWN - Lauren Boczek is living a dream she didn't even know she had.
The Morgantown native is the president and managing partner of the Indianapolis Capitols, a summer pro football team in the Continental Football League.
Even when she picked up and moved from Morgantown to Indianapolis, Boczek wasn't expecting to land the position she has.
"Not in a million years," she said on a recent afternoon while visiting her hometown. "It was not on my bingo card."
When announcing Boczek's hire, CoFL CEO Manny Matsakis praised the hard-working West Virginian.
"I've spent enough time across the table from Lauren to tell you exactly what the CoFL is getting: background, work ethic, and a competitive spirit that is remarkable," he wrote in the press release. "Her football intelligence is that of a gridiron aficionado -- she has a command of the game from the administrative side, to the entertainment side, to the connections in this sport that make her a one-of-a-kind person to lead a professional football club. I've already been introduced to people who are excited about what Lauren and her team are putting together, and I can't wait to see the coaching and admin staff she's assembling. She's already interviewing and lining up her top people for success in Indianapolis."
When she moved to Indianapolis, Boczek said she was looking for a fresh start. Her best friend lives there and she had visited many times so she knew she loved the area and she had contacts there. An opportunity came up to do marketing and social media for the league and that's what "pushed me out the door."
After a few meetings with Matsakis, that opportunity turned into a different job offer.
"The more I sat with the president, he thought I might be a better fit for this role," Boczek said.
The original Continental ran from 1965-69, and Indianapolis was a heritage team, capturing the 1969 Continental Cup. The league returned this year with four teams. It is expanding to eight for 2027. Boczek said the Capitols will play six games - three at home and three away.
Home will be Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
Boczek has always loved sports of any kind. A graduate of Morgantown High, she played lacrosse and ran cross-country. She also played basketball in a community league.
She still roots for any West Virginia University team and grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, but is now leaning more toward the Indianapolis Colts.
Graduating from WVU with degrees in public relations and political science, plus her work experiences in Morgantown, give Boczek the background she needs to be successful in this next chapter.
When she was just a sophomore in high school, she landed an after-school job at Morgantown radio stations WAJR and WVAQ, where she stayed for 10 years. She was hired away by MVB bank until she became a co-manager of Personally Yours and created her own marketing firm.
All the while, she was also the public address announcer for WVU women's basketball games, served as PA announcer and in-game host for WVU volleyball, gymnastics and baseball, and continues her duties as the internal public address announcer for the WVU football games at Milan Puskar Stadium. She has done play-by-play for those in the press box for 15 seasons. She is the only female to hold that role in Division I college athletics.
One of the hardest decisions Boczek had to make when making this move, was to give up her job with the women's basketball team.
"I love women's basketball. I'm a big proponent of women in sports," she said. "I've always loved football - college, pro - I love it all."
As she builds her staff in Indianapolis, Boczek continues with her WVU football duties and her work at Personally Yours, which she shares with Alexis Lorenze Warder. Boczek is able to do reports, inventory, marketing and social media remotely and always picks up shifts at the retail store when she's in the area.
She described her life now as "crazy busy." She's been fundraising, working on her staff and getting ready for fall tryouts. She will be responsible for creating ownerships, sponsorships and community partnerships.
She's already hired a vice president of sales and sponsorships, Gianna Scappucci, and is looking for a chief of staff.