For all my life, two of my greatest passions have been sports and storytelling. I believe that every game that is played on the diamond, gridiron, ice, or anywhere else is about more than just what is happening on the field. I believe it is about the underdog walk-on’s fight to prove their place on the team. I believe it is about the experienced coach’s effort to squeeze as much as he can out of each and every player. I believe it is about the team and organization’s place in the broader history of the game. In short, I believe there are endless stories to tell no matter the sport or level. My goal is tell as many of these stories as I can.
When I first began my professional career I was more interested in sports than stories. I enrolled at the University of Dayton as a Sports Management major and took a job as the assistant video coordinator for the football team. I had little chance of ever playing football beyond high school but I wanted to be as close to the game as possible. Video granted me that opportunity.
In 2014 I graduated cum laude from Dayton with a double major in Journalism and History. That year I was fortunate enough to spend a season working in the Detroit Lions coaches’ video department. In this role I was responsible for helping film, edit, and distribute all practice and game footage to coaches, players, scouts, and front office personnel. During my time with the Lions I saw first hand how a professional organization was run. I witnessed the precision coordination and effort that it takes for an NFL team to operate. I also learn how to comport myself in a professional environment around players and coaches. All-in-all, I was able to take many lessons away from my first taste of professional athletics and it only strengthened my desire to continue on in my sports career.
I had the opportunity to apply the lessons I learned during my season in Detroit soon after the end of my internship. Ahead of the 2015 NCAA football season I was hired as the video coordinator for the Monmouth University football program. In addition to deepening the skills I had developed in Detroit, at Monmouth I was also responsible to hiring, training, and scheduling student workers to ensure that all football practices and games had adequate video coverage. These technical and leadership skills continued to develop as the Assistant Football Video Coordinator at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and as the Football Video Coordinator at the University at Buffalo. Over the course of my time with these programs I came to a deeper understanding of what it means to truly succeed and be a leader. This helped to propel my career forward into my subsequent positions in the National Football League.
Beginning in 2018 I spent three consecutive seasons working in NFL coaches’ video department with the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans, respectively. In my two seasons with the Dolphins I served as the second end zone shooter during all games home and away. It was my duty to assist with the transportation, set up, filming and editing of every game during the 2018 and 2019 NFL season. In addition to my video work, I provided technical assistance to coaches, players, and front office office personnel to ensure all video software was running smoothly. I continued these responsibilities at the Tennessee Titans during the 2020 NFL season as well. My time in the NFL was an eye-opening experience that helped me grow both professionally and personally. I am thankful for the experiences I had, the people I met, and the skills I gained. However, at the conclusion of the 2020 season I decided to move back to Chicago to be closer to friends and family.
After returning to Chicago I briefly pursued a Masters in Education at DePaul University while working as a substitute teacher in Chicago Public Schools. In July of 2023 the Chicago Wolves hockey club offered me the chance to return to sports videography. Since then, I have created all Chicago Wolves radio and television commercials, produced interview segments for game day broadcasts, published social media content and more. It is a role I find immensely rewarding. The work that I have made can be found on this site as well as my contact information. Thank you for visiting!
Mike Roche Video 