Watching worried parents shake as their youngest child races up the court preparing for a layup, and the relief that crosses their face as the crowd starts to roar after the swish of the hoop, that is the moment Michael Mcintyre lives for.

Many students may know him as the “Main Hall Mike” the security guard who is always talking to different students, but he has had a long journey to get to this point. Mcintyre is a coach, videographer, mentor and a friend to many people on and off this campus. Mcintyre grew up in Southern Florida which is where his love for sports began.

“Growing up playing sports as a youth, I loved playing and watching sports which changed into a career for me. I knew I didn’t have a pro career but I wanted to be involved in athletics, and I thought about television, since I love TV, ” Mcintyre said.

Mcintyre started working for the Lakers in 1982. During his time with the team, he worked many jobs from public relations and marketing, to the game night video logger and editor. However, he never would’ve gotten the opportunity in the first place if it wasn’t for Lauren Pullman, who offered him his first job with the team.

“My whole career in sports was because of a young lady, [who] was a scorekeeper on [my] baseball team. Years later we met each other at a party when she was working for the Lakers. We ran into each other and she offered me a job with the Lakers to pass out information during the game. And that’s what started my career,” Mcintyre said.

Thanks to Pullman, Mcintyre got to live out his dream job. He worked with the Lakers for 30 years throughout the height of their fame. He started with them while video and television was a growing industry especially for sports, which made his job essential.

“When the Beatles came out in the 60s everyone was crazy about them. That’s what it was like with the Lakers. Everyone was crazy about the Lakers because it was something new,” Mcintyre said. “It was the most wonderful job and opportunity that I could’ve ever dreamed of. Working with professionals was different but I learned how to work with them day to day.”

He worked with some of the biggest names in NBA history: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabar and even the “Black Mamba” himself, Kobe Bryant. Bryant was especially vital to Mcintyre’s career as he pushed him to work in women’s sports when other videographers preferred to stay with the Lakers.

“Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest guys ever. He was a rookie, he was new to the league, but he always loved women’s sports, and he pushed me towards going and being the videographer for the Sparks. I could’ve stayed with the Lakers but I chose to move on to that side and help the ladies because they needed our professional help,” Mcintyre said.

Working in Women’s sports didn’t stop at the Sparks, Mcintyre started filming for high school while he was still working for the team, which allowed him to reconnect with some of the girls later on and offer them internships. Mcintyre really enjoyed working for the women’s side of sports as he grew to see their potential. Switching from the professional league to highschool was a big jump for Mcintyre, but it became very fulfilling.

 “It’s really using your experience to tap into highschool and growing youth leagues, and highschool leagues, and just making sure that they understood what they’re going to do next. In highschool they’re looking forward, but they don’t understand what they’re looking forward to doing,” Mcintyre said.

Switching to high school sports has also helped Mcintyre see how the improvements in professional women’s sports is translating into high school and college.

“Female athletes need more recognition, but they are getting the recognition now. They’re finally getting recognition because of TV and streaming of women’s leagues. We didn’t used to have women’s leagues. The WNBA in 1997, that was the first true women’s league,” Mcintyre said. “I see girls’ sports growing, and to be honest in many sports surpassing the boys.”

Mcintyre hasn’t only made a difference when it comes to sports, he’s also impacted other students on our campus. For example, junior Jacklyn Ayala expressed how Mcintyre has been there for her during tough times.

“I met Michael at the beginning of the school year when I was walking with my friend and he introduced himself to me. I thought he was very comforting, he’s very nice and thoughtful. There were a lot of times when I needed something and he always had it,” Ayala said.

Mcintyre also taught Ayala the importance of appreciating the staff and all they do for the students.

“He’s definitely taught me to be kinder to the staff, I feel like everyone here has different characteristics and it makes everyone individually really interesting. He’s made me realize that the staff isn’t just here to work for us but they have lives outside of school too,” Ayala said.

Overall, Mcintyre has made sure to leave a mark at every turn in his career making sure he made the most of every position. The reason he keeps on going is because of his love for the game.

“I enjoy all game nights. Every game night is exciting, because I love the crowd and I love to hear the crowd roar. Sometimes when I’m filming I have my earbuds in but when I pull them out and I hear the crowd roaring it’s so cool and so much fun to see. Mcintyre said, “Especially highschoolers, when they hit their first shot or make their first goal, it’s so exciting it brings tears to your eyes because you know how special it is to them,” Mcintyre said.