Malin, of International Office, Follows His Heart to Soccer

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December 02, 1999

SEARCH THE GAZETTE

HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

By Alvin Powell
Gazette Staff

Seamus Malin

After 35 years at Harvard, including a dozen as director of the International Office, Seamus Malin is leaving for an old love – soccer.

Malin took up the game as a boy in the streets of Dublin, Ireland, and still plays today at age 59. But it was his knowledge of the game, not his play, that brought him fame.

As he rose through Harvard’s administrative ranks, Malin built a parallel career as an internationally known soccer announcer. He recently worked the 1998 men’s World Cup – the most-watched televised sporting event on the planet – and this year announced the increasingly popular women’s World Cup. He also covers the New England Revolution soccer team’s games on Fox Sports Net New England.

"I caught the [soccer] fever when I was very young and never let it go," Malin said. "The game is really taking off in this country and I’d like to be a part of that."

After he leaves Harvard in February, Malin plans to mix several soccer-related jobs. He will continue announcing televised soccer matches, but plans to devote a large amount of time to a new soccer-dedicated Internet site.

The site is run by a Cambridge-based startup that aims to boost the recruiting of young players in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Called Fuxito, the company has taken its name from the Spanish words for soccer, "fútbol," and success, "éxito."

The Fuxito Website, which can be found at http://www.fuxito.com, will be a multipurpose site focused on soccer and will include everything from soccer-related news to an online store. Malin will write opinion pieces for the site, conduct interviews with players, and run a chat room where visitors can talk about the sport.

"Fuxito is poised to become the trend-setter in soccer Websites," Malin said. "I am excited to be part of this venture."

Malin also intends to spe nd more time in Northern Ireland, where he is involved with a soccer training program that brings together Protestant and Catholic youth, who learn not only to play soccer but to get along with each other.

Malin, who received an A.B. in English literature from Harvard in 1962, started his administrative career at Harvard in 1965 in the twin roles of assistant dean of freshmen and assistant director of financial aid. He also served as director of financial aid, assistant dean of admissions, and assistant senior tutor at Lowell House. He was appointed director of the International Office in 1987.

"I’ve had a 35-year career in education administration, which I’ve truly loved," Malin said.

As director of the International Office, Malin helps 5,000 international students and scholars annually adjust to the United States and navigate government regulations surrounding their stay.

"In the 12 years, Seamus Malin has led Harvard’s International Office with professionalism, skill, tact, and exceptional good humor," said University Marshal Richard M. Hunt. "During this period, literally tens of thousands of international students and scholars registered in the International Office and received counseling and service provided by its staff."

Malin’s television career got under way in 1966, when WGBH, Boston’s public television station, contacted Harvard looking for a soccer commentator. In the 1970s, he broadcast games for several professional Boston-area soccer teams, leading to a stint with the New York Cosmos, whose games were carried nationwide.

That exposure led to ESPN, which was looking for a soccer commentator after its 1979 startup. The ESPN-ABC connection continues today and has resulted in Malin working Olympic and World Cup games in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Seamus has spent most of his college and working life at Harvard, but he has also had a very prominent life outside of Harvard," Hunt said. "Now he will work in the world of soccer that he loves so much. All of us in the International Office will miss him very much."