David Feldman

By Sue Teggart
C & G Sports Writer

Editor’s note: As part of our series on residents who make a living in the world of sports, here’s a look at David Feldman, who spent many years as the athletic director at Center Line St. Clement before moving on to Bloomfield Hills Marian. For more on our series,click on the Summer Happenings link.

Ask Warren resident David Feldman, 53, what he does for a living, and he’ll tell you he’s a high school athletic director.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Prior to becoming an athletic director, Feldman was the proud owner of Boatworks, a restaurant in St. Clair Shores.

He didn’t know it at the time, but his part-time coaching job would eventually change his life.

“I was in the bar and restaurant business when I started coaching, and I liked that more than my business,” Feldman said. “I knew the (Center Line St. Clement) varsity boys basketball coach, and he asked me if I wanted the JV position. By the next season, I was coaching the varsity girls basketball team.”

Before long, it became obvious that his love of coaching and teaching young people was stronger than his passion for the restaurant business.

So, with a clipboard in hand, Feldman set his career change in motion.

After enrolling at the University of Detroit Mercy in 1990 to earn his teaching degree — he later returned to obtain his master’s degree in administration — Feldman began to pursue his calling.

“Coaching made me realize that being positive and doing the little things can really make a difference in a kid’s life,” Feldman said. “That was really more enjoyable than having a bar or restaurant. There wasn’t really any type of satisfaction in that.”

Paving his career path
Feldman began his new career coaching girls basketball and softball, and boys basketball at St. Clement in the early 1990s. He said his big break came a few years later, while he was coaching at Dearborn St. Alphonsus.

“When I was coaching (at St. Alphonsus), the A.D. needed some help with the grade school A.D. (position), so I sort of took that over, even though that wasn’t my title, and I really liked that,” Feldman said. “The idea of monitoring the coaches and making sure your athletes have a positive experience is almost as rewarding as the coaching itself.”

After a stint at Redford St. Agatha in 1996, Feldman returned to St. Clement — the high school has since closed its doors — and took over as its athletic director in 1998. For the past four years, he’s been running the athletic department at Bloomfield Hills Marian.

Achieving the standard
Though most athletic directors make the transition from coaching to administration, as Feldman eventually did, there are college courses and degrees available for those who wish to follow in his footsteps.

Central Michigan University, for example, offers students graduate and undergraduate programs, with a unique combination of coursework and an internship that provides hands-on experience.

But students can only learn so much from a book.

 “It doesn’t teach you how to deal with irate parents or a coach that gets thrown out of a game,” Feldman said. “(Books) tell you to be firm, fair and consistent, but those are the hardest things to do when emotions come into play.”

He said the biggest challenge of his job is being aware of all possible situations that could arise.

“You’ve got to be able to take a step back to evaluate any  situation,” Feldman said.
To him, striving for high standards is paramount, in the classroom and on the playing field.”

“We set high standards, and we expect all of our athletes and coaches to meet that standard,” Feldman said.

Recognized as one of the best
Just as Feldman expects his athletes to meet certain goals, he expects the same from himself.

On June 9, he was given one of the highest awards for an athletic director when he was named Athletic Director of the Year at the 32nd Catholic High School League Hall of Fame banquet.

“I hold myself and our athletic department up to high standards,” Feldman said. “By me being honored as A.D. of the year, they honored all my coaches and all my athletes.”

What made receiving this prestigious award that much more special was having his wife, Jackie, and three children — Davis, 10, Nathan, 9, and Jacquie Rose, 6 — in the audience.

“For me, to be up there and to get honored by my peers with my three kids looking at me was a night that I’ll never forget and emotions that I’ll probably never have again,” Feldman said.

Feldman’s previous honors include Regional Athletic Director of the Year (2006) and CHSL Hall of Fame inductee (2004).

You can reach Sports Writer Sue Teggart at steggart@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1107.