Tim LaDuca’s life revolves around sports. As assistant athletic communications director, he spends hours at various facilities writing stories and compiling statistics for the men's hockey team, baseball team, men's and women's swimming and diving, and crew teams. He is also the primary media contact for those teams. His work is prominent on the Athletics website and its social media channels.
Outside work, LaDuca is a lifelong Bills fan, has run two half-marathons, and likes playing disc golf and Ultimate Frisbee. He also spends considerable time watching live sports on television.
LaDuca, who will celebrate his one-year anniversary at Union in August, began his career in athletic communications in 2018 at his alma mater, SUNY Geneseo. He interned for the athletic communication staff for three years and served as the play-by-play announcer for Geneseo’s nationally-ranked men’s hockey team.
Tim LaDuca and his wife, Liberty, on their honeymoon at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort last August. Three days later, he joined Union.
He also spent three years at the University of Lynchburg, first as a sports information graduate assistant in 2021 before being promoted to director of athletic communications, serving as the primary contact for all of Lynchburg’s Division III programs. While leading all of the sports information and digital media efforts for the Hornets, LaDuca covered Lynchburg’s baseball team during its national championship season in 2023.
As a member of the College Sports Communicators, LaDuca won the 2023-24 Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest in the college division for his feature story on social justice efforts in Rwanda by Lynchburg’s women’s soccer team.
Before joining Union, LaDuca spent a year working with Monumental Sports Entertainment in Washington, D.C., assisting the Washington Wizards and Mystics public relations staff on NBA and WNBA game nights. He also served on the scorer’s table during Mystics and Capital City Go-Go games.
While in D.C., LaDuca freelanced regularly on game days with several Division I schools, including Georgetown University, George Washington University and American University. He also worked at Wegmans in-between game days to support chasing his dream of working in sports.
LaDuca graduated from Geneseo in 2021 with a bachelor of arts in history, and earned a master’s in higher education leadership from Lynchburg in 2025.
Originally from Rochester, N.Y., LaDuca now lives in Schenectady with his wife, Liberty, and their pet cat, Schmee.
FIRST APP YOU LOOK AT IN THE MORNING:
MLB, to play the Immaculate Grid, get my spins in on a new daily MLB game called Spinners, and catch up on last night's games.
WHAT ARE YOU READING?
It's funny, I had not read a book for a few months and forced myself to pick one up just in case I was chosen for the Chronicle's “Catching Up” series. So thankfully, I can truthfully say I am halfway through “The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s America” by Joe Posnanski.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING:
Baseball and the NBA and NHL playoffs. I'll also sprinkle in some “Community,” “The Office,” “St. Dennis” or “Superstore” in there between sports games.
BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU RECEIVED:
I didn't receive it, but I gleaned it from the title of a book about building a baseball team using only analytics and numbers, “The Only Rule is It Has to Work.” In my field, there are so many ways to do things, and the good programs and social media accounts pave their own ways and start their own trends. The "how to be good at social media" handbook would be obsolete a few days after publishing. So, I try to be creative and think outside the box instead of looking at how other schools and teams do things. I say that there are no rules in social media, but “the only rule is it has to work.”
ONE SKILL YOU WISH YOU HAD:
Every year since 2001, my family has held an annual golf tournament called the “LaDuca Challenge.” I have played in it a few times, but I'm no good and am never in the hunt to win it. My grandfather hosted a golf tournament for years in Buffalo as well. He passed away this spring, and I have committed to playing in the LaDuca Challenge every year going forward. I would sure like to win it one day for him.
THREE DINNER PARTY GUESTS (living or deceased):
Amir Blumenfield, Jake Hurwitz and my little brother, Robbie. Jake and Amir are my favorite comedians. Robbie and I bonded over those two and it would be such a riot to finally be able to meet them and share some laughs.
LITTLE KNOWN FACT ABOUT YOU:
I have 160-plus hats. I have at least one of every MLB team’s hat (yes, even the Red Sox, Cardinals, and Brewers despite being a Yankees and Cubs fan), but there's quite a bit of minor league baseball in my collection as well. Lots of Lynchburg hats from my time there, and a good chunk of Buffalo Bills and Sabres hats. I have one Union hat so far.
FAVORITE UNION MEMORY/EXPERIENCE:
I traveled with the men's hockey team to Belfast in Northern Ireland for the Friendship Four. We did a ton of the fun tourist things, like visiting the Giant's Causeway and touring the streets of Belfast. But I remember being caught by the moment as I was hustling around the inner-workings of Belfast's hockey arena, SSE Arena, going through my typical pregame tasks. I took a moment to really appreciate that I was working in sports, in a foreign country, thoroughly enjoying what I do for a living. I have brought that habit back here with me and will usually take a moment in the hours before a hockey game when I'm running around doing a million things and just appreciate the opportunity to work in sports.
ONE THING YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT:
My pet cat, Schmee.
WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST ADMIRE:
My wife, Liberty, who is my best friend and the sweetest, best thing to ever happen to me.