WVU Football isn’t a small operation. To make something as huge as a Division I football team work, there’s plenty of people running things behind the scenes. One of these people is manager Brianna Smith, a WVU sophomore from Alexandria, VA. Not only is she a manager, but she’s a mentor for the Academic STAS program as well as a sister of Pi Beta Phi sorority. I sat down with Brianna to learn more about what it takes to run the Mountaineers.
Madison Canales: What does a football manager do? Describe a typical day in the life.
Brianna Smith: Each football manager is assigned a position on the field to work with such as Defensive Line, which is my position. Most positions have 2-3 managers at each one so that operations can run smoothly. Once assigned to the position you are then given what we call a “script” every single day that has 24 periods on it with the drill or activity that is assigned to each period. Based on the drill we are responsible for getting all of the equipment for each drill before practice starts and to have all of it set up for that position.
A day in the life of a student manager starts with us arriving at the stadium an hour or two before practice starts. Once at the stadium we change into practice clothes and sometimes organize some equipment or orders that may have come in during the day. Then we head to the storage area where we get all of our equipment for practice that day and set it all up. We wait for the team to come out for stretch and warm ups to then eventually start practice. During practice we do whatever the coaches ask us to do and set up the drills accordingly. After practice we clean the field up and do laundry in teams of two. On Wednesdays of away weeks, we load up the team semi-truck with all of the equipment so that they can drive it across country that day. If it is a home game, that Thursday we start to clean the locker room and as well as the away team locker room so that everything is ready for the game.
MC: What’s a game like as a manager?
BS: Game day is probably my favorite part about being a manager for WVU Football. Managers arrive at the stadium 5 hours before the game and eat a pre-game meal. Then, we split into two groups which one group sets up the locker room (which is putting the jerseys on the pads, putting the game pants out, and making sure everything looks picture perfect) while the other group sets up what is called the Coach Comm (the headsets that the coaches use during the game). Once that is done we change into our game day clothes and head out to the field for early warm ups. During warm ups we catch punts or help warm up the players. Once they head back inside we set up for halftime and then run out on the field for the start of the game.
During the game there are multiple roles for us such as being ball boys, holding offensive and defensive signs, or helping with the offensive and defensive benches. My job during the game is to clean the defensive bench and make sure that Gibby (the Defensive Coordinator) has everything he needs during his talks with the defense such as a white board, Expo marker, and a towel or water. During halftime we get a slight break to eat a snack and sit down. Once the team goes back outside we clean the locker room up from the halftime meetings and then head back onto the field. At the end of the game we push all of our equipment back inside and then stay until every player is gone from the locker room.
MC: How did you get involved with football and managing?
BS: During high school I played on my school’s Junior Varsity and Varsity boy’s Football Team as a kicker. I fell in love with football and really started to learn the game. Once my senior year hit, I knew I was not going to be playing football in college and so I needed to look into an alternative. During my first visit here at WVU I decided to go straight to the football stadium and talk to the head WVU Football Equipment Manager unannounced. I explained to them my experience and love for football and they accepted me on the spot. Unfortunately, they already had 16 managers for Fall 2015 so I could not start until Spring 2016. Once I started, I fell in love with the team’s energy and way of being a family and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
MC: What’s your favorite thing about being a manager?
BS: My favorite things about being a manager include getting to know the players, being part of a Division I football team, and being around the one sport that makes me the happiest.