Augustana Grad finds work with Bobcats; Michael Jordan

While many of Augustana's recent graduates have scored good jobs, one in particular might have ended up with the game-winning shot.

Jordan Dalton graduated last spring with a double major in accounting and sports management and is now working as an inside sales consultant for the Charlotte Bobcats. 

He spent time doing internships with the Augustana Vikings, the Sioux Falls Storm and Sioux Falls Pheasants, slowly gaining the experience he needed to approach the NBA team with a resume. 

While working with the Pheasants, he stumbled across an opening for the franchise online and decided to apply.  Two weeks later, he was getting ready to move to North Carolina.  "It happened pretty fast, but Charlotte is a great place to be," he said.

During his time at Augustana, Dalton accumulated a reputation for basketball that set him apart from many members on the team. 

It was hard to find a basketball headline without seeing his name in it, earning the Augustana Team Captain Award, Defensive Award and Assists Leader Award, not to mention leading the NSIC in steals and third in assists for the 2009-2010 season.

Making the move to work for the Bobcats was an obvious choice for someone so involved with business and the game.  All he really had to do after he graduated was find a way to make the game his business.

"It's a dream come true," he said.  "I know the reasons people come to watch basketball, so I get to mix my love of basketball with my major."

As an inside sales consultant, Dalton is responsible for contacting business and individuals with ticketing and marketing information for the budding franchise. 

What is just as noteworthy as his job title is the fact that the Bobcats were just taken over by Michael Jordan himself, hopefully giving the chance to kickstart the team into the NBA spotlight.

"The whole culture around there is changing with Michael Jordan taking ownership," he said.  "It's one of the huge reasons I was attracted to the job in the first place.  It's a franchise on the rise.  It helps me grow when I can say ‘I help build up this franchise to what it is today.'"

Dalton's former teammates have the utmost faith in his abilities to succeed in his professional life.

"He gets along with pretty much everybody," senior guard Chad Hettermann said.  "I've known Jordan for six years and he's been one of the best friends I've ever had.  He's got a determination and drive to him that will allow him to do anything he wants to do."

He added, "I have nothing but good things to say about him and I wish him the best."

Between serving as one of Michael Jordan's minions and exploring life in Charlotte, Dalton feels lucky to be in the job he has earned.

"First of all, it's a job in this economy, and then it's a job in an industry I'm absolutely in love with," he said.  "To get a job in a professional organization is unreal."