A few words with former Illini catcher David Craan

David Craan (Fighting Illini bio) was a speedy, fine-gloved catcher for the Illinois baseball team. David finished his tenure with the Illini in spring 2019. Apparently, his time at Illinois is not done yet.

David wasn’t your typical catcher and there is lot more to him than meets the eye. When you scratch the surface, you see a lot more. He is an Academic All-Big Ten award winner. He has been honored as the Big Ten Sportsmanship award. Even more importantly, he is a gentleman who contributes to the community and now we see, is helping his alma mater as a Marketing Coordinator for the U of I Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

IBR’s Robin McElwee caught up with David at a UI Volleyball game recently and requested an interview. David graciously agreed.

Here are our questions and his answers…

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Illinois Baseball Report: Your current job title is Marketing Coordinator for the U of I Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. First of all, congratulations! What does that position entail? What does a typical day look like for you now?

David Craan: Marketing in a nutshell is in charge of putting out all the advertising and promotions for sporting events along with producing the games. For me, my sports are cross country, track and field, swimming & diving, and men’s gymnastics. For those sports, I’m in charge of planning giveaways, writing scripts, playing music coordinating things like national anthem singers, and fan competitions.

IBR: You have done an enormous amount of volunteer work even going back to your high school days. Between the Buddy Walk, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the WCIA Toy Drive and so many others, the list goes on. What motivates you to do this?

DC: I think my love for volunteering stems from realizing how blessed I am to be in the position I am and wanting to be a blessing to others. If I ever had free time and there was a volunteer opportunity, the least I could do was show up and just doing that can impact people I ways we don’t realize.

IBR: We at IBR have noticed that you have picked up photography and are lending your talents to Illinois Athletics. Robin and Tom honestly have a ton of questions for you on this topic but the important one is “Are you enjoying it?”

DC: I’m definitely enjoying photography. I’ve had a camera for a while and just started using it more and more. I came across a lot of opportunities to take pictures for different events and it has been really fun.

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Rapid Fire Questions with David Craan

Favorite Illini sport NOT baseball?	Football
Most memorable moment at Illinois Field?	Any of the walk-offs
Favorite Big Ten opponent you faced?	Indiana
Favorite baseball field you visited?	Haymarket Park – Lincoln Nebraska
Any pregame superstition? How did it start?	Not any superstitions but pregame handshakes after infield and outfield – I always liked handshakes I used to do them in high school and just came up with some with each position player

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IBR: Ok, honest talk here. What do catchers really talk about when you visit the pitcher at the mound?

DC: This is one of those things that it really depends on the pitcher. There are some pitchers that I’ve gone out to the mound and said nothing to, I just needed them to give them a second to catch their breath. There are other guys you have to calm down when they get amped up and other guys you have to be stern with. It really depends on the guy and knowing how to best communicate with them.

IBR: On a similar vein, what was the most memorable comment you heard from an opposing batter while you were catching for the Illini?

DC: I can’t really remember a particular comment, but baseball is cool in that you play summer ball with and against so many people. It’s always cool when a guy steps in the box who you played with or against over the summer even if it’s just a quick “what’s up”.

IBR: After four years of life as a student-athlete, what advice would you impart upon an incoming freshman athlete at the University of Illinois?

DC: Advice for incoming freshman:

• 4 years goes by really (the end seems very far away when you look forward but looking back it seems like no time at all)
• Be selfless and a great teammate – It’s crazy how much more you enjoy the sport when you’re all about the team and not about yourself.
• Have fun – at the end of the day, baseball is a game and should be fun – enjoy games, practice, time with your teammates, trips, all of it.
• Go to class – pretty self-explanatory, but you get the opportunity to get a degree from one of the best universities in the world so make sure you take advantage of everything this place has to offer.

Many thanks to David for taking the time to answer these questions!!