As a double major in government (now called political science) and secondary education, Hanrahan found himself captivated by EDYS 100 with Professor John McDonnell. This course helped him discover a passion for education he hadn’t fully recognized before. Inspired, he shifted his focus fully into education, cramming coursework into three intensive years to complete his degree before student teaching.

He completed his student teaching in local communities around Beloit and Rockton, gaining hands-on classroom experience before graduating in 1986. Soon after, at just 21 years old, he found himself teaching social studies and government at Hononegah High School in Rockton, Illinois. “It was strange. I was 21, teaching 17- and 18-year-olds,” he says. But the experience sharpened skills that would define his career: preparation, organization, and the confidence to speak in front of others.

He had always wanted to coach basketball, and education gave him that opportunity. He later earned an opportunity for a social studies teaching position and a basketball coaching role at Lake Forest High School, from which he graduated in 1982. Around the same time, he made a bold move: he mailed his resume to the NBA team Chicago Bulls.

That decision changed the course of his life.

He deferred the teaching position and accepted an entry-level role in ticket sales with the Bulls. The early days were humble. “I couldn’t afford an apartment. I took the bus and train to work.” There were very few employees in the front office at the time, and he started at the very bottom. But education had prepared him well.

“Education is very much like sales,” he explains. “You have to communicate, compromise, teach people, and listen.”

Those foundational skills fueled a remarkable career as he gained experience across multiple professional sports. Ticket sales evolved into leadership roles where he trained and mentored people. Eventually, Hanrahan felt called back to the classroom.

After leaving the Bulls, he connected with colleagues in collegiate sports management and accepted a teaching opportunity at Loyola University Chicago, where he taught for a semester. Conversations with former classmates and faculty soon led him back to Beloit. Invited by Brian Morello, director for the Center for Entrepreneurship, and Diep Phan, professor of economics and business, to teach a course on sports and his professional journey, he developed a curriculum and syllabus that resonated deeply with students. Today, his course draws more than 30 students, and Beloit’s sport management minor continues to grow.

His message to current education and youth studies students is simple but powerful: develop good communication skills. “The ability to communicate and talk to people is a dying art,” he says. He credits a Beloit College public speaking course as one of the most valuable classes he ever took. “Being able to clearly express your thoughts can only make you better in whatever you do.” For students wondering whether they must choose between sports and education, he offers reassurance. “Any interest can tie into sports.” Whether through management, coaching, communications, business, or leadership, the worlds of athletics and education are deeply connected.

In the 2023-24 academic year, Greg Casey Hanrahan joined Beloit College faculty as an instructor in Sports Management, an Executive-in-Residence who provides career development resources for students, and he serves as Head JV Boys Basketball coach at his former high school (Lake Forest). “Everything fell into place,” he reflects. Although he began his career with the goal of teaching and coaching, his path led him into professional sports, where he spent decades building a successful career. But eventually he found his way back. “My passion was always to teach,” he says, grateful for the opportunity to return to what first inspired him.