For more than 25 years, Tom Manzo the law enforcement official worked at putting people in the jail cells of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Now, Manzo puts his drive and energy toward putting people in the stands at Monmouth University athletics events.

Nearly a year into his job as coordinator of school spirit and community development, Manzo's energy and dedication have proven invaluable to the athletics department at Monmouth. Manzo is believed to be only full-time, paid school-spirit coordinator on an NCAA campus.

He began spending time at the institution in the late 1970s, attending athletics events and founding (with five other athletics supporters) the Blue and White Club in the late 1990s. As the years passed, he began spending so much time on campus that he warned Athletics Director Marilyn McNeil that as soon as he retired from his position in the prosecutor's office, he'd be knocking on her door for a job in Monmouth athletics.

A year and a half ago, he took a leave of absence from his job and started volunteering full-time for the Hawks. Last March, President Paul G. Gaffney II couldn't let the spirit coordinator position go unpaid any longer -- Manzo was simply doing too much. Though the athletics department conducted a search, Manzo was obviously the right candidate.

"As a volunteer, Tom had already proven himself to be a diehard Hawks fan," Gaffney said. "This job is tailor-made for him, so it wasn't surprising that he won the competition for the job."

Both Gaffney and McNeil said they're impressed with and grateful for the community connections Manzo brings to Monmouth, as well as the tireless attitude he has in promoting the school. Gaffney said that since he was hired, there has been a "marked pick-up" in local businesses sponsoring Hawks teams as well as in fan attendance and enthusiasm. Manzo knew his early impressions would be vital to his success as school spirit coordinator.

"What I did is say, 'Look, I know the campus inside out, I live in town,' " Manzo said. "My first thing was visibility, to get my name out there to let the students know who I was, that it's cool to come to the games. ... I told the powers that be that one of two things is going to happen. I'm either going to sink or swim, I'm going to be labeled a geek and they're going to say, 'Look at this cheerleader,' or I'm going to be cool and they're all going to want to be a part of me. I think they chose the latter."

The student body's choice is evident in the packed stands at Boylan Gymnasium, with students following the theme Manzo has chosen for the night, whether it's "Paint Your Face" night or Hawaiian night. Manzo said simply talking with the kids and earning their respect were the keys to making his spirit campaign work.

"Getting their respect was huge. I can walk up to any game, and the players feel good when they see me," he said.

Manzo employed a little creativity to gain support from the student body and, later, the entire Monmouth-area community.

He has started reserving seats for children's birthday parties, complete with a cheerleader rendition of "Happy Birthday," food, T-shirts and a scoreboard display. Every year, he purchases 10 season tickets and allows people to sit in the prime, behind-the-bench seats until they're hooked -- then he makes them buy their own.

He's designed posters that have become so popular they disappear from the walls and reappear in dorm rooms. He's created a spirit campaign, which awards students who come to games -- and follow the theme -- points toward prizes awarded at the end of the season. He doubles the points for women's basketball games and televised games and will randomly triple them for one or two games a season. He organizes student-athletes into community-service projects to spread goodwill in the community. And he is toying with the idea of asking students to turn in their apparel from other academic institutions in exchange for Monmouth gear.

"My goals are to see Boylan packed, to see other events packed, to keep it going and to be recognized as someone who made it work," he said.

McNeil said Manzo has opened up so many local doors for the Hawks in terms of sponsorship and recognition that she couldn't have opened on her own.

"I've been here for 11 years, and yet I'm still suspect," she said. "He has been here all his life, and he has all these connections. It is such a small town that he brings that association -- he's trusted by the locals."

The student-athletes love him as well, McNeil said, because he cares as much about field hockey and track and field as he does about football.

"I think the athletes see that he cares about them, he cares about their programs," she said. "He's at more athletics events than I am."

Indeed, Manzo admits that he is rarely if ever at his desk in the athletics department.

Soon, Manzo will have an even larger venue in which to promote his beloved Hawks -- the school plans to build a new athletics facility.

Both McNeil and Gaffney see the spirit coordinator position as a long-term one for Monmouth.

"At Monmouth, we strive for victory, but we work very hard to ensure that we are developing the whole man and woman in our athletics programs, men and women who will go off to lead the community," Gaffney said. "We've had a few pro players graduate from MU, but that is not our goal. Athletics is for everyone in the MU community. Tom's efforts reinforce that. His focus is lifting the spirits of the whole university through athletics."