Wall Street networks aim to hire athletes from top schools

September 23, 2010 | By Jim Kim

Wall Street's culture reveres sports and sees athletes from Ivy League and other top schools as prime candidates. They favor the discipline and aggression that comes with competitive athletics. So it's not surprising that some financial firms tap their alumni networks to hire people out of college. Bloomberg takes a look at the phenomenon, noting in particular how the University of Pennsylvania athletic board, dominated by financial executives, helps players land internships and jobs.

The coach uses the network as a recruiting tool. "We call them our alumni mafia. Everyone looks out for one another. It's a very close group," football coach Al Bagnoli told Bloomberg. Columbia University went so far as to appoint a its first full-time director of career development for athletics in the Ivy League.

This would seem to run counter to current trends, as much of the corporate world may actually prefer students from non-Ivys, or at least recruiting at large state schools. But for now anyway, the combination of brains and brawn remains prized. Such networks exist at other private colleges as well, like Notre Dame.

For more:
- here's the Bloomberg article