After nearly 20 years working in Major League Baseball, Michael Teevan ’97 earned one of the league’s most prestigious professional awards: the Robert O. Fishel Award for Public Relations Excellence.

Teevan has been an MLB-lifer since receiving an internship while attending Boston College, a communications intern role with the Boston Red Sox in 2000. After graduating BC, he continued to work with the Red Sox, before getting an opportunity to move to the Office of the Commissioner in 2003. Teevan has served in a variety of public relations roles since then, currently holding the position of MLB Vice President of Communications.

The Robert O. Fishel Award, named after the longtime baseball executive, goes to the “active, nonuniformed representative of Major League Baseball whose ethics, character, dedication, service, professionalism and humanitarianism best represent the standards propounded by Robert O. Fishel.”

In his current role, Teevan serves as a liaison to all 30 MLB franchises, performing a variety of media relations planning for MLB’s most prestigious events such as the All-Star Game, the World Series, and special events such as the 2021 game at Iowa’s “Field of Dreams.”

Teevan also plays a major role in disseminating accurate information that baseball fans read and hear about each day.

“I am a point of contact for reporters on our baseball operations, umpiring, our health and safety programs, our player programs and policies, government relations, security and other initiatives of the Commissioner’s Office, meaning that I work with MLB’s respective experts in each of those fields and then interface with the press,” he said.

To that end, Teevan had been essential to MLB’s efforts to keep personnel healthy during the ongoing pandemic, collaborating with health officials to demonstrate the importance of prioritizing safety.

It’s no surprise that Teevan has dedicated his career to sports, dating back to his time at the Academy.

“Because I have two older brothers and three older first cousins who are all graduates, CBA was a big part of my childhood. CBA’s basketball program had a big hand in my love of sports,” Teevan said. “My dad used to take us all over New Jersey to see Coach Wiz’s teams play. Many of my best memories of childhood and high school involve CBA hoops, such as our dramatic 1995 win over powerhouse St. Anthony.”

Unsurprisingly, Teevan attributes much of his early confidence and preparedness to CBA, and he hopes that current students follow their passions.

“For me, one door directly led to another. At Boston College, I worked with the student newspaper, which began as a hobby but then occupied more and more of my time,” he said. “So the more you’re involved, the more people you’ll meet and more doors might open. I love baseball and everything that it stands for, and so I’ve always felt lucky to be able to follow my passion. Working hard doesn’t have to be hard when you love what you do.”