By Jack Rubin
SYRACUSE, N.Y., Sept. 9, 2019 – Though Coach Dino Babers has 105 student-athletes to coach on the field, he has an equally important unit of people to lead off the field.
Luckily for Babers and his staff, they have student managers dedicated to making their lives easier. The 14 student managers are a frequently overlooked part of the Syracuse football family, despite their crucial role.
Student managers are tasked with countless activities throughout the week to help prepare the team for the game ahead. Whether it is helping out during drills, packing equipment for road games or organizing the locker room, there is always work for the very dedicated crew.
Sophomore manager Duncan Stevenson said, “One of the most important parts of our jobs is making sure the players have the proper tools and equipment that they need to be successful on the field.”
The managers are essentially members of the team during the season, save for being listed on the roster. Their schedules must work around the football schedule; attendance at practice is mandatory, and their efforts do not go unrecognized.
Noah Radic, a sports management major, is working his first full season as a manager. “Working with the team is a big time commitment, but I also have plenty of time to get work done,” Radic said. “It’s definitely been difficult to balance, though.”
The student-managers are actually paid a small salary, but the job is more rewarding for the experience. The position jumps out on a resume, and Radic hopes to use the experience he gains at Syracuse in a sports management job in the future.
Syracuse is in the beginning stages of their most anticipated football season in decades. The team began the year ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, clocking in at 22nd. Their hopes to move up further were squashed in a brutal 63-20 loss against Maryland, but the team has their biggest contest of the season coming up on Saturday, Sept. 14 when the Clemson Tigers visit the Carrier Dome.
“The Clemson game will definitely be an unreal environment,” Radic said. “We have been working hard to make sure the team can get the win.”
Syracuse upset the Tigers in their last trip to the Dome just two years ago and gave them a run for their money at Clemson last season. The grudge match this season pits the Orange against the defending National Champions in prime time.
Preparation for this game has added extra work on the managers throughout the season. Though it may be arduous at times, it all pays off in the end for the student-managers.
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Word Count: 435
Works Cited
Interview with Noah Radic
Phone: (224) 422-8313
Email: npradic@syr.edu
Interview with Duncan Stevenson
Phone: (404) 813-9171
Email: dstevesn@syr.edu
Photo via Noah Radic/Syracuse Football
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