NETWORKING ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL

Six Students Travel To Las Vegas To Assist With The 2022 National Football Foundation College Football Awards

by Aubi Moon

For the first time, Idaho State University athletic administration and sport management students had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, and assist the National Football Foundation (NFF) with the College Football Award Ceremonies in December 2022. During the NFF event, 21 former players and coaches including Champ Bailey (University of Georgia), Andrew Luck (Stanford University), and Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech University) were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the William V. Campbell Trophy – also known as “the academic Heisman” – was awarded to Jack Campbell, (University of Iowa) the nation’s top football scholar-athlete.

Believing in the power of experiential learning, Dr. Caroline Faure, chair and professor for the ISU Department of Human Performance and Sport Studies (HPSS), organized this opportunity for six of her undergraduate and graduate students. Faure has assisted the NFF communications team since 2020 and jumped at the chance to bring her students along to gain invaluable experiences working and networking at a national sports event.

Students were able to put their skills into practice as they assisted the NFF’s communications team by producing, editing, and uploading video content, assisting with press conferences, and generating social media posts on various platforms. As Faure noted, “I think the most memorable part of the experience for students was them seeing how big and how fast of an impact their work had. By the end of the three days, their video and graphics content had reached millions nationwide. It was shared on tens of thousands of pages, and their video interviews were uploaded and shared by regional and national outlets nationwide. That was special for them because they got to see just how important and impactful their work was.”

Dylan Bohne, a sports management program senior, was among the students who helped with the NFF Awards. Bohne was eager to showcase his marketing skills and form connections with people he would not have otherwise met. As he explained, “Being able to design graphics for the NFF was not only a huge portfolio builder, but it also allowed me to connect with some fantastic people that work for the NFF. I was also able to have nearly complete control over what was posted on their social media accounts. That helped me to build confidence in myself.”

For Joshua Alford, the experience was once in a lifetime. Alford was named a Scholar Athlete for the National Football Foundation’s Los Angeles (CA) chapter when he was in high school, and as he said, “Being an ISU football player, I saw many legends who helped the sport of football become what it is today. Those legends made their own respective impact on the sport of college football. This experience helped me in my major as I heard many inspiring stories from them.” Alford is expected to graduate from the ISU Sport Management program in the Fall 2023 semester. Upon graduation, he plans to become a football coach at the collegiate level.

Students who have a passion for working in the sports industry often find that landing their dream job can be difficult without handson experiences such as these. Making industry connections and meeting world renowned sport management professionals can be a significant opportunity for students as they seek job employment after graduation. The NFF trip was funded through the ISU College of Education’s Dean’s Excellence Fund. The College and the HPSS Department look forward to providing additional opportunities to students in years to come.