Students lend a hand on one of college football's biggest stages
On Sept. 12, students and Longhorn fans throughout the Forty Acres were buzzing with excitement. Texas and Ohio State were set to kickoff one of the most anticipated college football games of the year later that evening, resulting in a dramatic 20-point comeback win for the Longhorns.
Hours before the game, ESPN and Home Depot’s College GameDay, a college football pregame show that travels to different college campuses every week, was taking place on the lawn outside the LBJ School of Public Affairs, giving fans a chance to start their own gameday early.
Twelve Moody students had the opportunity to volunteer on set with Octagon, a sports and entertainment agency that has managed The Home Depot’s sponsorship of College GameDay for the last 24 seasons.
Students from James Dalthorp’s sports communication classes gained hands-on experience by assisting Octagon with The Home Depot setup and fan engagement. Dalthorp, an assistant professor of practice in the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations, says that he painstakingly recruited the students knowing they’d make a great impression on the Octagon team.
