Francesco Palumbo

Born and raised in northern New York, Palumbo grew up playing sports and focused on creating a career in athletics. A graduate of SUNY Canton's Sports Management program, he went on to complete his graduate studies at the University of Massachusetts, earning his MBA, as well as an MS in Sport Management. His professional career has spanned many opportunities across all different levels, mainly within the sports industry. This has included stops at Division I (UMass and St. Lawrence), Division II (Mansfield University), and several Division III programs. His primary concentration has been in baseball. Having grown up playing the sport his entire life, he also went on to play collegiately at SUNY Canton. He has worked across all levels of Minor League Baseball, as well as in the "major league" side of athletics, with experiences at Steiner Sports and with the Basketball Hall of Fame. His film debut "The Bodacious Bears" was a two year process. He served as the Writer, Director, Editor, and Producer for the project, all while also filming and organizing all of the 30+ interviews in that time. The film premiered November 6, 2022 at The Proscenium Theater on the campus of SUNY Potsdam. "The Bodacious Bears" recounts the story of NCAA basketball in the 1980s, primarily highlighting the feats and accomplishments of Head Coach Jerry Welsh and the SUNY Potsdam Bears. From 1980 to 1990, the Bears posted a record of 288-49, including an NCAA Division III record 60 consecutive wins from Nov. 22, 1985 to March 14, 1987. SUNY Potsdam won its second national title of the decade during this stretch, having won its first at the end of the 1980-81 season. Along with two national championships in 1981 and 1986, the Bears were runners-up in 1979, 1982, and 1985. Palumbo additionally teaches a class at SUNY Canton, and is a Senior Venue Manager for the World University Games which will be hosted in Lake Placid, NY in January of 2023.