By Chris Blumenstetter '05
Dani Klupenger, a self proclaimed 'west coast girlie girl' that grew up about 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean, always saw herself pursuing her Division I basketball dreams close to family and friends. In fact, she even recalls throwing all east coast college recruiting letters in the trash as a high schooler in Oregon. It required a series of serendipitous events to uproot this talented student-athlete for her college years. Ironically, these events would result in her ending up not too far from home as a seasoned, well rounded professional.
In 2009, during Dani's senior year of high school, the women's basketball coach at Stony Brook was Michele Cherry. Cherry happened to also hail from Oregon and was an acquaintance of Klupenger's AAU coach. After an introduction, an official recruiting visit was scheduled over winter break during a period in which the university is sparsely populated with more barren vegetation than students. It would be a tough sell for the Seawolves to land Dani, but another chance meeting sealed the deal.
"I met with the Dean of the journalism department," Dani recalls. "I told him what my plan was and where I saw myself professionally. He believed in the process of his department and sold me on the school. He confidently explained what my path could be if I worked for it and, looking back, everything he said was true."
Dean Howard Schneider, who still holds the post at Stony Brook, remembers the meeting fondly. "Her enthusiasm was apparent. I am very proud to say that she was a student in our program. Her success brings everyone here that worked with her immense joy."
As a student, Klupenger was taught all the necessary components of being a successful broadcaster. "They taught me how to shoot and edit video, use software, write for broadcasts/articles, and how to successfully undertake investigative reporting. I learned the process behind creating and producing quality pieces for print and film." She maintains her appreciation for the role of Stony Brook in her success by adding, "I would never have been able to land my first job out of college without these skills."
That first job out of college happened to be with the University of Tennessee's Athletics Department where she served for nearly two years as a host, producer, reporter and multimedia coordinator. During her time at Stony Brook, Dani created a weekly sports show for the school's website called the "Get your RED on Minute". Unbeknownst to her, part of her audience was the recently profiled former Seawolf employee Jason Yellin ,who was watching from his post in Knoxville as assistant athletic director and possess a keen eye for talent. He offered her a position which she graciously accepted with no hesitation.
"Dani was a star for us at Tennessee and continues to rise up in the industry. She is incredibly talented and knowledgeable and is extremely diligent," Yellin, now the Assistant Commissioner for Communications at the Big Ten Conference commented.
The admiration is mutual. "Jason is the best!" Dani explained. "If he never took a chance on me I wouldn't be where I am. He created a position for me in Tennessee and put me on the right road. He introduced me to everyone and taught me the importance of so many things. He makes himself available for me even today and I pick his brain all the time.
As an athlete, her contributions to the basketball team were numerous during her four year career. She was as sharp a shooter on the court as she was (and still is) both behind and in front of a camera. During her four years, she amassed 144 three pointers which ranks her fourth all time in SBU history and was named the America East's Fan Choice Player of the Year after her junior season.
Being a successful athlete and decorated student were not her only on campus honors. During her senior year, Dani was named Homecoming Queen for her graduating class. "That was one of my proudest Seawolf moments," Dani says. I was able to show that I had another side to me other than athletics."
It was Klupenger's ability to combine her two passions that likely distinguished her athletically and what continues to makes her a unique talent professionally. She spent hours reviewing her own performances on film for the purposes of reflection, improvement, self-critique. "I always wanted to understand the game and the system better. Critiquing yourself can be an awkward process but it is necessary to improve". The arduous process Dani outlined has another definition for her today: work.
Dani Klupenger, only a few years removed from her undergraduate studies, is a team reporter for the Los Angeles Rams. The versatile Renaissance woman of the west coast is responsible for a litany of different products on a weekly basis. She is a sideline reporter for preseason games, an in-game stadium host, pre-game show host for a local ESPN affiliate, host of a weekly Rams television show for and ABC affiliate, host of the radio show ''What the Hekk' for 101 ESPN radio, and ever sits down for a weekly segment with the Ram's head coach to be used by multiple outlets. She interacts with current professional athletes, retired Hall of Famers, coaches, and front office members daily as part of her work environment. She does all of this from the hub of all west coast sports and entertainment; Los Angeles.
It wasn't always this perfect, however.
When hired by the Rams organization, the team was located in St. Louis, Missouri. There were whispers and rumors of a possible move, but nothing was concrete. When the time came for relocation, emotions ran wild for Klupenger. "The remote possibility of the move to LA made the job at the Rams even more desireable for me," Dani recalls. "When the announcement was made I was hoping so much that I would be chosen to go with the team." While the hope certainly helped, the outstanding professional effort she put forth in St. Louis is what likely punched her ticket west towards home. She was ecstatic.
The west coast girl was heading home. Closer to family and friends and closer to the center of the media capital of the west.
"The first call was to my parents. I was overwhelmed with joy...It was perfect. Some people move to Los Angeles with dreams of getting the perfect job, I was moving to Los Angeles WITH my perfect job."
The move helped Dani hone her skills and refine her industry knowledge because of the unique circumstances it created. As a result of the move, the entire organization was housed together in a hotel for three months in LA. Following that, the team traveled together to Irvine, California for the six week training camp.
"I was able to get so much closer to everyone because of these circumstances. It was so rewarding both professionally and personally. [Former Rams Head Coach] Jeff Fisher was like a father figure to me. His entire staff was always approachable and ready to teach and help me. I was never intimidated to ask questions. I learned more not only about the game of football, but about the process of running a professional sports franchise."
Today, critique is a daily part of the process for Dani. "Film sessions are different now," Dani jokes. "Instead of being on a court with teammates, I am in front of a camera conveying information to viewers. Sometimes I cringe as onlookers and superiors critique my performance, but it's all part of the process of improvement. You want feedback, you want to be coached."
The process is proving fruitful. As her role with the club expands she is gaining the respect of not only viewers but the other professionals around her. As a female journalist in the NFL, in what could be a glass ceiling scenario, Klupenger is breaking through with the same grace, poise, and grit she displayed on the court at Stony Brook. Her student-athlete experience is one she draws inspiration from to this day.
A postgame locker room can be a tense place that requires ever present tact and professionalism. Failing to display such qualities can lead to relationships, both personal and professional, being shattered beyond repair. The line between journalist and athlete though thin on paper, can prove to be a cavernous divide that is seldom crossed. With her playing experience at a high level, Dani is able to bridge the divide.
"I know what it is like to have expectations for you on a court or field and come up short. I understand what it is like to traverse the grind of a season and not be successful. As a team we sadly did not achieve much success in the win column at SBU."
Similarly, the Rams teams that Klupenger has covered over the past two seasons have yet to experience periods of sustained success.
"My athletic background has helped me tremendously," Dani emphasized. "I know when it's necessary to tiptoe, speak in an understanding and caring tone, and I respect the sanctity of a locker room. I made it a point when I started with the Rams to get to know the players personally first before the cameras or recorders ever rolled." One of her fondest memories of journalism reflects her self assessment perfectly.
Klupenger recalls a locker room scene in St. Louis after a Rams loss that was somber and tense. She wanted to talk to Rams Wide Receiver Tavon Austin about his performance but also wanted to respect the environment and the fact that he may not be in the most verbose mood. Austin, the player in the scenario, initiated the conversation with Dani on that afternoon and even kept the interaction one-on-one by restricting other reporters from participating. This was a watershed milestone in Dani's career she will remember fondly for years to come.
"He stood up for me and respected me enough, as a woman in a locker room, to advocate for me and initiate the conversation because of the relationship I had built up with him over time. I am grateful to Tavon even still for that gesture."
Similar situations depict Klupengers rise. As sometimes the lone female among a panel of distinguished males that include the likes of Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, she asserts herself intelligently and contributes pertinent details whenever commenting. "It gives me confidence in what I am doing when people like Marshall [Faulk] ask me legitimate football questions and value my opinion. The don't just hear my responses, they are listening."
It would be easy for someone of Klupenger's caliber to head west and not look back. This isn't the case, however. She is constantly in contact with former teammates and makes herself available to current journalism students at both Stony Brook University and the University of Tennessee. When the Rams visited the Jets in November, Dani and a large group of her former teammates were able to reunite in New York City for a memorable evening.
"I treasure the relationships I have with my teammates. We are all still so close and were able to get together last year when the Rams played the Jets for a reunion with about eleven of us. Being together and remembering the times we had in the West Apartments when no one else was on campus is priceless. We became a family that persevered through any adversity together for four years and are all reaping the benefits now."
With all the success that occurred quickly for Dani, she still laments on the past. "I just miss playing basketball. It is so much a part of me and who I am. It was my first love...the first goal I ever had was to to get a D-I scholarship"
With that goal, along with subsequent ones met at only 26, there is no telling what Dani will shoot for next. Whatever that next shot is, we at Stony Brook know she will drain it, even from way downtown L.A.!
TOGETHER WE TRANSFORM
