Imagine the Chiles Center. The great white dome sits at the edge of campus. Home to many University of Portland sporting events, Rock the Bluff, graduation and even a Dalai Lama speech in 2013 — the Chiles Center is a place that has seen trials and triumphs, success and loss and holds a million memories. There are two people who have been there for it all: Dan Seabeck and Eli Wingfield, the unspoken heroes of Chiles.
Assistant Athletic Director Seabeck and Equipment and Game Operations Coordinator Wingfield play no small role within UP Athletics. Without them, games, events and even practices simply wouldn’t happen. Seabeck and Wingfield:
Schedule all varsity, club and intramural sports
Schedule all security and usher teams
Schedule officials, announcers and stat crews
Launder athletes’ uniforms, gear, towels, etc.
Schedule facility rentals to external customers
Convert the Chiles Center set up from one event to the next
Coordinate the visiting teams have what they need
Long hours and chaos aside, they still find joy and take pride in what they do.
“We don’t mind being in the shadows sometimes, as long as it’s successful on the court or on the field for the student athletes,” Seabeck said. “That's all we really care about. We might be here more than we are at home sometimes, but it’s what we signed up for. We do it out of a labor of love, not because we have to.”
Dan Seabeck works a men's soccer game on Merlo Field.
The athletes reciprocate the love.
“I would say besides the coaching staff they’re second in line,” Women’s Basketball player Maisie Burnham said. “Their work is underappreciated and undervalued a lot of the time but they do so much for us. Everyday we are impacted by them and what they’re doing.”
Seabeck and Wingfield, who have worked at UP for 10 and six years respectively, have many fond memories of working within athletics, witnessing the success of UP teams and playing a role in the day-to-day lives of the athletes. Seabeck has even been given the nickname ‘red card guy’ by a few die-hard Pilots fans due to his role of escorting soccer players off the field after a red card ejection.
“I hope they know that their work never goes unnoticed,” Women’s Volleyball player Maui Robins said. “Maybe we don’t say it enough when we see them around but we really do appreciate them and everything they do for us. We love them with all our hearts and we cannot do anything in Chiles without them.”
Whether it’s a casual conversation with the athletes, seeing the men’s and women’s soccer teams make it to the NCAA tournament or watching the women’s basketball team win the West Coast Conference tournament, Seabeck and Wingfield find joy in witnessing the successes of the athletes.
“We try to put on the best venue we can for the athletes,” Wingfield said. “That’s our main goal here, seeing them succeed whether it be pro or just in their career academically or whatever they want to do. That’s a big part, seeing how happy some of these kids are when they’re ready to leave.”
Eli Wingfield offers a ball during a men's soccer game.
Besides being the go-to guys for UP Athletics, they are also instrumental to the success of outside events. The two have worked diligently to host high school state basketball tournaments, the Phil Knight Invitational and the Rip City Remix coming to the Chiles Center for their first home game mid-November. Seabeck and Wingfield both enjoy the change of pace and the opportunity to showcase Chiles to a different crowd.
“You get to hear everybody chat as you’re walking by about how great the building is,” Wingfield said. “Having them come in and say that makes you feel good.”
Despite it being a two man show up until recently, K.T. Emerson was added to the operations staff this past May. Emerson will be taking over facility scheduling.
“All in all, this is a really big family. That makes it in itself a great place to work,” Wingfield said. “It’s like going from your house with your family to work with an even bigger family.”
The athletes are grateful.
“I was obviously new to Portland and they were some of the first people I met so they’ve played a big role,” Men’s Basketball player Tyler Robertson said. “I love seeing them around. I always make sure I say hello, try and have conversations as much as I can because they’re just good people and it shows in the work they do for us.”
Men’s soccer player Kevin Bonilla takes it a step further. He thinks they play an even bigger role in the win column.
“I know we wouldn’t be as successful as we are on the field if [Seabeck, Wingfield and Emerson] didn’t help us with everything else off the field. So for that we thank you and we’re aiming to win some chips for you guys this year.”
Emma Swett is a sports reporter for The Beacon and can be reached at swett25@up.edu.
