After a minor concussion sophomore Davis Link had while playing football, he concluded it was best for him to do something else that did not involve playing the game itself.
Link is one of the two football managers alongside freshman Logan Eide. Link said he has always been interested in working in the NFL and aims to manage professionally someday.
“After that (the concussion), I just realized that kind of aggressiveness of the sport was not an aspect of it I liked, but I still liked football,” Link said.
Eide said he began his journey as a football manager during his first year of middle school, where he was able to build new connections to then obtain his current role.
“I did it in seventh and eighth grade at Oxford, and then the assistant principal, now principal, Holsapple, recommended me to coach,” Eide said.
Another sport to manage is girls’ varsity volleyball, a responsibility sophomore Connor Morrissey took on. He said he was able to obtain his role through his connections with volleyball coach Molly Haggerty as well as his experience playing at MAVS Volleyball.
“I’ve known her for a while, and so at tryouts, I was just asking if there was a spot that I could take that would be able to help her and the team, as well as using my skills to get reps and be ready for club season,” Morrissey said.
While not a lot of experience in volleyball is necessarily required to become a manager, Haggerty said they are seeking to find students who are willing to be involved.
“We’re really just looking for kids who want to be a part of something, especially in the fall, and can commit to coming to practices and tournaments every day with coaches,” Haggerty said.
Morrissey also finds himself balancing school and other obligations in his daily schedule while executing his tasks as the volleyball manager.
“Sometimes I’ll be finished with the last hour of the day and I just want to go home, it’s just a big chunk of your day,” Morrissey said.
When it comes to his daily schedule, practices look different depending on the day of the week. Some days include setting plans for next practice, while others require joining in during drills. On other days, Morrissey’s schedule will change due to games and tournaments.
“During games, if the girls need anything, to run and go grab something, he’s able to do that. He’s kind of our hype man. He’s so full of energy, and he’s a really fun personality to have,” Haggerty said.
Morrissey said the practice schedule generally occurs between 3 and 5 p.m., though it can vary depending on the workload. During weeks with numerous games, practices may be extended or shortened to accommodate the team’s needs.
According to Morrissey, this season has seen multiple injuries in volleyball, and helping with recoveries is also part of the job.
“[I] step in and help them with recovery stuff, and [I’ll] even be another person to play in drills. I have a little manager backpack that has snacks and drinks and Tylenol for them,” Morrissey said.
Just like Morrissey, Eide and Link said they also find themselves managing many tasks at once to better help the team’s overall performance.
“Basically just set up for practice, if that’s getting equipment out, putting equipment somewhere and filling up the water jugs and the bottles,” Eide said.
Link said football managers have schedules similar to players, as they attend both practices and Friday night games.
According to Link, one incorrect assumption of football managers is that they are only in charge of filling up the water bottles. He said that people have this misconception that all managers are just considered water boys for some sports, when it consists of much more than just that.
“It’s more than just water. I fly the drone. And last year with the freshmen, I helped around, I would help set up drills and stuff,” Link said.
Link said that last year, being the football manager helped him broaden his horizons and connect with new people from the other middle school he might not have met otherwise.
“I think some of the friends I made last year from the other middle school I might not have made without having that football connection.”
