"Shape your own path."

These are the words of Dedan Brozino, whose "path" started in his hometown of Lehighton and has now led him all the way out to Los Angeles. Recently, Brozino was named executive director of development in charge of securing funds to restore the 94-year-old Rose Bowl stadium.Brozino was born and raised in Lehighton, where he quarterbacked arguably the best Indians' football team in history. The team finished with an overall record of 10-2 in 2001, reaching the second round of the PIAA state playoffs before falling to Selinsgrove."What made our team great that year was the friendship we had together," said Brozino. "Since the third grade we were always outside playing some kind of sport. That's when I started to learn how relationships can lead to success."Football, however, would shorten his baseball career. After Lehighton, Brozino became a crafty left-handed pitcher for the DeSales University Bulldogs, who made it to the Division III College World Series in 2003. But he only played for one season."I broke my collarbone playing football and it never healed right so I had to give up the dream of playing baseball after DeSales," he said. "When you're that young, you have little understanding of reality. There happened to be a silver lining though. Since my major was sports administration, I volunteered at DeSales to help out in sports media, and this experience became a testament that has led to where I am now."At DeSales, Brozino met Danielle, whom he would later marry. A California girl, Danielle influenced Brozino to leave Pennsylvania to start a life in the Golden State."Danielle is my rock, my north on the compass," he said as they approach their seventh anniversary. "She knew when she married me she was also marrying the business I would pursue, which nowadays takes me away from home for many, many hours."Once settled in Los Angeles County, Brozino earned a master's degree in sports administration from Long Beach State. After an internship, he landed a job as senior associate athletic director for external relations at LBSU. Between 2007 and 2014, Brozino raised $27 million in capital projects to improve the college's athletic facilities. This achievement paid for a new basketball court, which was ranked No. 1 in America for its overall design. The venue also sported the nation's largest video board. Attendance at LBSU athletic events improved by 116 percent in four years, which then brought in an 87 percent increase in revenue."When you can improve facilities like we did, it allows the school to offer more athletic scholarships," explained Brozino. "That's the beauty of it all because it helps more kids come to college and get an education while playing the sport they love."Asked what exactly he does, Brozino, who was elected to the DeSales Hall of Fame in 2013, says that he solicits and acquires the monies needed to build, renovate and restore athletic venues. In return for their donations, the benefactors, which include everyone from individual donors to corporate sponsors, are wined and dined, have privileges to use practice facilities and get tax deductions for their contributions.Brozino claims growing up in Lehighton, a small, intimate town, has helped his business success in the big city."I was influenced by so many wholesome people in Lehighton," he said. "When I was a kid we played outside and we didn't come home until the streetlights came on. I saw what good personal relationships can do for the people in our neighborhood. I'm a people person and living for 22 years in Lehighton, where everyone gets to know each other pretty well, helped shape my character."Apparently, his personal character was instrumental in landing his new position. After a national search and no fewer than four interviews, Brozino was hired to take charge of the renovation of the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena."Talk about a dream job," he said. "The Rose Bowl has been a fabric in American sports for almost a century. I am excited about leading a project that will continue the legacy of this iconic arena for the next 100 years."Despite its need for a face-lift, the Rose Bowl is still a very popular venue. UCLA plays its home football games there. Of course, the "granddaddy of them all," the Rose Bowl game is played there every New Year's Day. Big-time concerts have been performed by U2, Beyonce, and Jay Z. A large group who call themselves the Rose Bowl Loop utilizes the field for exercises.There are also three NFL teams looking at making the Rose Bowl their new home in the near future. The Chargers, the Rams, and the Raiders have all expressed an interest to start playing football there in the 2016 season.Brozino's job, which he will begin at the end of July, is to obtain funds to pay for the improvement of the stadium's infrastructure, the restrooms and the concession areas. He also is thrilled that there are plans to build an on-site museum that would display memorabilia to commemorate the arena's storied history."I love what I do because it has a significant impact on people's lives," said Brozino. "To me, what can be better? Flying to the moon? Becoming president of the United States?"Brozino calls it "surreal" to go from the small town of Lehighton with 5,000 people to a stadium that holds 90,000 fans, yet he stays connected to his roots. He remains in contact with his childhood best friend and football team's fullback, Peter Semanoff, who now lives in Texas, and his center, Danny Long who currently works in the Carbon County sheriff's office.The 31-year-old father of two a son Carsten and a daughter Bryn remains humble about his fast track to success, yet he believes that opportunity is the result of working hard and treating people ethically."I'm not one who feels that good things just happen to fall in your lap," he said. "You can't wait for opportunity. I realize timing is everything, but you have to take advantage when something is the result of what you have previously accomplished. And you need support too. I have to tell you that I wouldn't be where I am today without my wife, Danielle, encouraging me and pointing me in the right direction."From Lehighton to Los Angeles and from his high school football field to the Rose Bowl, Dedan Brozino will continue to shape his own path as he takes charge to preserve an American athletic landmark.