Alumni: Lucchino ’67, Grousbeck ’83 discuss championships

That was how athletics director Gary Walters ’67 opened last night’s Princeton Varsity Club Lecture, a laid-back, 90-minute talk on the world of sports business off the court, field or diamond titled “Building a Champion.”

Walters was speaking of Larry Lucchino ’67, president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, who, alongside Wyc Grousbeck ’83, managing partner and CEO of the Boston Celtics, returned to Princeton to discuss the road to success in athletics and give advice to those interested in following similar paths.

“We are really proud of our ties to Princeton,” Grousbeck said in an interview following the talk. “It is an honor to come back and speak to its student-athletes.”

Baseball’s World Series Trophy and basketball’s NBA Finals Trophy sat on a table beside the lectern; two glistening pillars of instant credibility next to two men who, by talk’s end, needed very little of it.

Lucchino, a former point guard for the Princeton basketball team, was the first to speak.

“Winning starts at the top,” said Lucchino, who has worked in baseball for 29 years. “If you do not have a front office and management that is intensely committed to winning and willing to make the social and financial sacrifices necessary to do that, the winning mentality will not trickle down to the players.”

Lucchino’s path to the Red Sox is a long and complicated one. After graduating from Princeton, Lucchino studied law at Yale, and from there he worked his way into baseball. He has been president and CEO of the Baltimore Orioles (1988-1993), San Diego Padres (1995-2001) and Boston Red Sox (2002-present), and he won rings with all three: World Series titles with the Orioles and Red Sox (twice) and an NL pennant with the Padres.

“The Princeton education provides you with so many advantages, many of which you cannot see from the undergraduate perch,” Lucchino said. “Life is full of surprises, and it is important that you always keep an open mind.”

Grousbeck offered similar advice to athletes looking to move into the front office.

“You all know what it feels like; the winning, the competition, the team-building,” said Grousbeck, a member of Princeton’s undefeated 1983 lightweight crew. “You need to keep that fire and that passion when you continue after Princeton.”

Grousbeck said he “fell into pro sports.” It was not until watching his friend Lucchino purchase the Red Sox that the former venture capitalist went into basketball, but he hit the ground running. Six years after his investment group purchased the Celtics, the team was NBA champion. It was the Celtics’ first title in 22 years, and Grousbeck’s squad is a favorite to hoist the trophy again next June.

Grousbeck also offered a number of tips for success that apply in life as well as in the sports industry. Those tips included setting goals from the start — Grousbeck named his investment group “Banner 17” with the intention of winning Boston’s 17th title — making the difficult decisions that can make or break a year, digging deeper in times of need and, perhaps most importantly, accepting that no matter how hard you expect the road to be, it will probably be tougher.

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The two men kept the conversation light for most of the talk, quickly turning the “lecture” into a “discussion.” After introductory comments by Walters, Lucchino and Grousbeck, the trio opened the floor to questions.

Grousbeck shared stories of ripping a player’s nametag off a locker — “There are Celtics and there are those who don’t share our team’s mentality; [this particular player] was not a Celtic” — and Lucchino and Walters, former Tiger teammates, took subtle jabs at each other over the course of the night. As Grousbeck outlined his theory that an exceptional point guard is one who rebounds, Lucchino chimed in that “Gary [Walters] wouldn’t know anything about that.”

The three men explained their biggest mistakes as professionals and distributed autographed baseballs to an audience that included Princeton coaching legend and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Pete Carril. Grousbeck took shots at the New York Knicks, and Lucchino called the Yankees “the Empire.”

Serious questions did arise, however. On the topic of Jason Varitek, Lucchino said, “one of the first things I learned in this business is ‘do not fall in love with your veterans.’ ” Grousbeck was asked to recount the overwhelmingly negative reaction to his trade for Kevin Garnet last season.

Evident throughout the jokes, anecdotes and stories, though, was a powerful underlying theme: Building a champion is no easy feat. Success takes dedication, intelligence, sacrifice and confidence, and both Grousbeck and Lucchino embody all of those qualities.

And, to borrow Walters’ words, it helps to be a champion yourself.