The following article appeared in the From The Hill Magazine Winter 2025 Issue. Follow these links to make a gift, update your information, or submit a class note.

Falcon Finds His Voice

By George Hainaj ‘25, MarCommWeb Writing Intern

Ever since he picked up a microphone three years ago at a wrestling event, Thomas
Sabin ‘25 has been sharing his voice and love for sports. In his sophomore year of high
school, he dreamed of becoming a professional sports announcer. At Albertus, he truly
got to shine as a part-time announcer for a variety of sports and became known as “The
Voice” of the Falcons for Albertus home games. Albertus Magnus College has pushed
him to reach his full potential and provided access to the necessary resources to
achieve his biggest aspirations. Here on the Hill, we have sought to encourage and put
faith in the future of remarkable individuals like Sabin, so that they may reach heights
never seen before.

Prior to being a sports announcer, Sabin was a competitive baseball player seeking to
make a name for himself. When first presented with the opportunity to announce games
at Albertus, he declined. His ambition was to play games, not narrate them. However,
after encouragement from a former coach of the college, he decided to pursue this new
path forward. Sabin remarked on some advice his coach gave him that he found absurd
at the time, “You’re talented, but I want you to grab a microphone instead.” Yet, after
ruminating on his goals, motivation, and support, he made the difficult decision to
become a sports announcer at Albertus. And so with his new calling, he set out into the
dynamic world of sports public address announcements.

After performing as the bombastic voice for the Falcons at Albertus for some time, he
started working as the public address announcer for a minor league hockey team, the
Bridgeport Islanders. He expressed that he had many heartwarming experiences with
the team and values the support he received from his colleagues. The connections he
made and the people he met made all the hard work and persistence worth it. Sabin
described how one of his greatest challenges was learning how to network and display
himself as a cut above others. He said, “You’re not sure where you are going to start
and the sports industry, especially announcing, is a very competitive game.” With so
many other candidates flooding the profession, he had to make himself stand out or risk
not making the cut.

When recounting his interview with the Bridgeport Islanders, he describes how there
were as many as 60 contenders there to vie for the position. He felt as though he was
not ready and not unique enough to be considered a top choice. Nevertheless, he gave
his all when called up to the plate. After interviewing and providing voice lines to
demonstrate his distinctive voice and skill, he was contacted later to find that he was
one of four finalists considered. He returned to give his last set of auditions which would spell success for him as he was bestowed an offer of employment later that same day.
He gladly accepted the opportunity and began his journey into the professional world of
sports announcers.

Sabin reflected on the overwhelming support he received from family, friends, and
cohorts over the years as he strived to make his dreams come true. He names two
individuals who had a sincere and lasting impact on him. These two are Megan Hopton,
Game Presentation Manager at the Bridgeport Islanders, and Timothy Farell, Vice
President of Marketing at the Bridgeport Islanders. Sabin conveyed that Hopton is
always pushing him to improve his skills and that she is a joy to work with on the team.
After listening to his audition, Farell was highly interested in Sabin due to his
extraordinary voice and talent which led to the offer to be an announcer for the team.
Today, Sabin thanks them and many more for taking a chance on him and investing in
his skills so that he could make his passion for sports known to greater audiences. His
new, and even more ambitious, dream is to work his way up in the world of professional
sports announcers to eventually work for a major league team such as the New York
Islanders. Until then, Thomas Sabin’s dedication to his craft and extreme passion for
sports will remain a symbol of Albertus Magnus College’s unwavering support for its
students.

Watch Thomas Sabin’s Story