On the sidelines and behind-the-scenes, students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln play a key role in the operations of Husker football games.
Nebraska Today sat down with a few — a photographer, fan experience intern and broadcaster — to learn more about their unique positions, as well as how football games enhance academic opportunities at the university.
Snapping the perfect shot
As a student photographer for Husker Athletics, Allyssa Hynes gets an up-close view of the action in Memorial Stadium every week.
The senior political science and advertising and public relations major from Omaha, Nebraska has worked for the athletics department since the spring of her freshman year. She spends each home football game on the sidelines of the field, shooting photos for social media and capturing the excitement of the crowd.
“If you were to look on the sidelines at any sporting event, the majority of full-time photographers are typically men. Being a young woman working in the field of sports, specifically sports photography, has been really interesting,” Hynes said.
“Me and other female photographers I’ve talked to feel like we have to work a little harder than our male counterparts — which I kind of like, as an added challenge. It’s forced me to be more confident in my actions and my ability to perform or photograph.”
Along with football games, Hynes also photographs most other university sporting events. Her schedule can get hectic — but she says the flexibility of the job, and Nebraska’s enthusiastic fans, makes it worth it.
“Obviously, the Nebraska fan base is indescribable. Even at volleyball games, you’ll have the entire arena sold out. That doesn’t happen anywhere else in the country,” she said. “The atmosphere is really cool, and when I go to work, I’m just going to a sporting event and cheering on my home school. That’s cool in and of itself as well.”
Supporting the fan experience
Behind-the-scenes each Saturday, graduate student Joe Lang works to ensure that fans’ experiences go smoothly.
Lang is a member of Nebraska’s Master of Arts in Business with a specialization in intercollegiate athletics administration program. As part of the degree, he is currently completing a graduate assistantship in the development office of Husker Athletics. The assistantship allows him to accompany high-level athletics donors to different events on game day.
“The graduate assistant position gives you the opportunity to see how everything works,” Lang said. “Last year, we volunteered in every department and every facet of the athletic department. Development was the one that stood out to me, so that’s why I’m here now.”
Originally from Pullman, Washington, Lang joined the Nebraska business program specifically for its sports management opportunities.
“One of the things that makes it so special is that you get to work in one of the best athletic departments in the country,” Lang said. “Even though you’re a grad student, they treat you as if you’re a member of the team.”
“The reason I chose this program was to be a part of the Huskers brand,” he added. “That ‘N’ is pretty powerful.”
Calling the game
Will Bauer, a junior broadcasting, journalism and sports media and communication major from Hawley, Minnesota, has one of the best seats in the house on Husker game days.
Perched high in Memorial Stadium, he and other broadcasting students survey the action and produce pre-game, play-by-play and post-game commentary for Nebraska’s KRNU radio station.
It’s a role that requires a great deal of preparation. Bauer typically arrives three hours early to each game and spends many more getting ready for the broadcast.
“The better you want to be, the more homework you do. You’re educating the people watching, and you want to know enough to feel like you’re telling people something that they don’t know about the other team,” Bauer said.
“You have to know the roster up and down, how to pronounce the names and know little tidbits about them. It takes quite a bit of time.”
Having worked in the position since his freshman year, Bauer credits professors Rick Alloway and John Shrader for the opportunity to gain broadcasting experience early on.
“They really like to help everyone and make sure everyone’s got an opportunity to hopefully do something, or at least get a crack at what they what they want to do. I’m pretty thankful that I’ve stumbled upon this opportunity,” Bauer said. “It’s been fun so far, and I’ve learned some stuff along the way too.”
