Larry Lage grew up in the shadow of Michigan Stadium, raised by deaf parents, and dreamed of being a sports journalist.

He attended Michigan State, where he was SPARTY the mascot, and graduated with a degree in elementary education in case his dream didn’t work out. It did.

Lage, juggling roles as a husband and father, has chronicled major sporting events in Michigan and at four Winter Olympics since 2000 as an award-winning sports writer for The Associated Press. He founded a college application consulting company, Better U, in 2024, leveraging his experience of working for the University of Michigan Ross MBA School of Business admissions department, three-plus decades in journalism, and helping his two children with the process. After speaking to groups large and small for more than 20 years, the former ice cream truck driver, valet, and pizza delivery guy has entered a new arena as a keynote speaker.