For Eric Biro, magna anima means never stop learning.

Biro grew up in Mentor, Ohio, where his life was filled with family and sports. He was one of seven in a big Roman Catholic family filled with "cousins for days". His life was very school focused and family focused. He also played football and ran track at that time too.

"Track was 80% of my passions at that time," Biro said, "and that grew as I got into college. The passion came from my father who had run his entire life."
 

Eric came to John Carroll for three reasons. First, his grandfather was a 1951 graduate of the Boler School. Secondly, he knew the reputation of the Boler School, and had known it his entire life. Thirdly, Dick Mann (coach from 97-03) had recruited him, which was his final factor to decide to come here.

Once in the fold, Biro began to run track and started forming friends that he would keep through his entire life.

While at John Carroll, Eric ran the 200, 400, and 800, was part of all the relays (4 x 100, 4 x 400 and 4 x 800) and even competed in the high jump. Most meets were filled with four to five events.

"Balancing school and track was not always easy," said Biro. "My focus was competition. I am a very competitive person, a very results-based person, and it was easier to see that in track than it was the classroom. In track it was easy to see this week by week, but in the classroom you see it at the end of the semester. Thank god I had a good support system with family and friends and a desire to stay focused, but it took a lot of work to balance the two."

Biro would put together what amounted to a Hall of Fame career. Biro was a four-year letterwinner on the track team, racking up 10 OAC championships. Covering both indoor and outdoor seasons, he would rack up an impressive count of 17 All-OAC honors. In 2001, he added All-American to his resume by running a leg on the 4 x 400 relay that finished fourth in the nation. At one point, Biro was the school record holder in the 200- and 400-meter run, as well as the 4 x 400 relay.

Joining the likes of fellow Hall of Famers Antoine Dunklin, George Sample, Antonio McCladdie, Brian Sobolewski, and Chad Stein, Biro was part of arguably the most successful era in the history of the program. He was a member of the 2002 OAC outdoor championship team, which marked the first league title in 25 years. During his four years, the Blue Streaks finished in the top four of the conference for the first time in school history. The team also racked up a pair of top 20 finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships

Staying humble was what kept him pushing through.
 

"You've got to remind yourself why you're here," Biro said. "I'm most likely not going to be an Olympic athlete and even if you are you're only going to be good for so long, so at the end of the day we are there to better ourselves with an education then enter the work force hopefully doing something we really want to do and that reminder although it is really cool to be an athlete at JCU we're likely not turning pro anytime soon."

That mindset helped him to run track all four year while actively pursuing a degree in Finance.

When senior year rolled around, Biro's father, who owns a food processing equipment sales and services with his uncle, sat Eric down.

"During college, there was always the goal of when you graduate, you're going into the family business," Biro said. "My spring semester of my senior year, my dad said 'Okay … before you come into the family business, I want you to get an internship somewhere else just to get an outside perspective and feel for another industry'."

So, Biro went out and received an internship at a recruiting firm, AHRA, in Mayfield Heights. Eric worked at the firm for four and a half years, and tried to acquire the business in 2007.

When the sale fell through, he and his partner, Ryan Anderson, left and formed Anderson|Biro, LLC. For the past twelve years, Biro has built a recruiting practice centered around the real estate financial services industry. The firm services clients nationwide.

Also, family remains a strong anchor in his life. Biro got married in 2010 and now has two children, Eric II and Brooke, which are "[his] favorite things about [his] life today and every day".

For Eric, the ability to work with and around people who stay with them is the biggest accomplishment thus far.

"We don't have a large staff, but we are recruiting people in and seeing them grow. We do not have a lot of turnover," Eric said. "I am now able to recruit students from John Carroll, keeping the chain and flow going of Carroll connections."

Things have started to turn for even more for Biro in business. In 2017, Biro started a staffing company, Anderson|BiroStaffing, LLC, to support their clients hiring contract workers in Ohio. He also reentered the family business, Biro Sales Inc., to help his brother in the transition from third generation to fourth generation.

"Business is a passion of mine," said Biro. "It's been that way since watching my grandfather run Biro Sales many years ago."

Through all of this, Eric has kept John Carroll as an important part of his life. He coached the track and field team as an Assistant Coach from 2008-2014 under the helm of Dara Ford, and served as the President of the Blue & Gold Club from 2014-2017. He remains on the Blue Gold Club executive committee to this day.

Eric Biro has never stopped growing or learning, and that magna anima shows through him.