Nov. 4, 2010
By Samantha Franz
Athletic Communications Contributor
Skip Townsend
Sport: Men's Basketball, 1986-90
Degree: Marketing, 1990
Occupation: Marketing Manager, GM Goodwrench
Spouse: Dr. Nicole Leigh
Children: Lauren (13), Jesse (12), Trey (6), Zachary (5), Rachel (3)
It's a decision that weighs heavily on the minds of every high school senior: Which college should I go to? At age 17, Lawrence "Skip" Townsend thought he had it all planned out. He had both applied and been accepted to Penn State University and had no intention of taking his passion for basketball beyond the high school level. But it was a last minute choice to attend Oakland University that set the course for the rest of his life.
Oakland was on Townsend's radar because one of Oakland's assistant coaches directed a basketball camp he attended and the men's program followed up with Townsend after his impressive performances at camp.
"I really hadn't intended to pursue playing college basketball, but Oakland approached me and offered me a great education and the opportunity to continue my athletic career," said Townsend. "They told me to try it out for a year and if I didn't like it, I could transfer to Penn State."
It wasn't just basketball that drew him to Oakland, either. OU's academic reputation was also a big factor in weighing in on his decision.
"The academic programs were rigorous and the classes were taught by actual professors rather than teaching assistants," he said.
"Also," he joked, "The female to male ratio was seven women to every two men."
Memories and Connections
Needless to say, Townsend never attended PSU and went on to play for the Pioneers from 1986-90, leading them to their first 20-win season in 1986-87. Oakland also posted winning records in all four seasons he played, winning an impressive 78 games in that span.
But Oakland gave him more than just athletic recognition. Some of his fondest memories as a Pioneer involved none other than Michigan winters and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech.
"Some of the most fun memories I have were the road trips to the Upper Peninsula since we always seemed to get snowed in there," said Townsend. "When I played, we had six trips to the U.P. and on three occasions they had to close the roads or the Mackinac Bridge. Being in the hotels there with the men's and women's teams, and sometimes the cheerleaders, was a lot of fun."
That camaraderie also translated to the campus community, a feature of Oakland that Townsend really enjoyed.
"There was a much smaller, closer-knit group of people that lived on campus , maybe 1,200 of us, so being a commuter campus, the nights and weekends had a much smaller student population," he said. "I thought we had great support of athletics from those folks and the ones that lived in the dorms really turned out to watch the games. The student-athletes would also come out to each others' games and cheer on each other. We pretty much all knew each other. "
It was in this setting that Townsend met two of the most important people in his life: his best friend, who is still his best friend with to this day, and his future wife Nicole, who was also a women's basketball player.
"The core of what my life is today would be totally different if I hadn't come to Oakland," said Townsend. "It was that one decision I made as a 17-year-old that really set the course."
Beyond OU and Giving Back
After Townsend earned his bachelor's degree in marketing in 1990, he started at General Motors in the call center and worked his way up to inside sales and then marketing. Today, he is a marketing manager for GM Goodwrench and when he is not at the office, he and his wife are very involved the activities of their five children, whether it be equestrian, travel soccer, basketball or baseball.
Townsend is also a big contributor to his alma mater. In addition to being a donor, he also serves on the Board of Visitors and the Hall of Honor Committee, as well as being a Basketball VIP member.
"There is a lot of loyalty at Oakland," said Townsend. "Tracy Huth, the athletic director, used to coach women's swimming and of course, Greg Kampe has been there for a long time. That couples with the fact that Oakland has been so instrumental in my life and I had strong feelings about wanting to get involved and giving back. I hope Oakland will continue to rise up, so to speak."
As a former student-athlete himself, Townsend feels that OU student-athletes today should treasure their time wearing the Black and Gold.
"My advice to student-athletes today would be to work as hard as they can and leave it all out on the field, court or course," he said. "I would tell them to realize that this is a special time in their lives and it's relatively short. They will make some of their cherished memories during this time, so they should do what they do in a fashion so they have no regrets."
-OAKLAND-
