Cliff Israel is experiencing his own once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
By Chris Dell
SMU News
As North Texas gears up for perhaps the largest sporting event in its history, SMU sophomore Cliff Israel is experiencing his own once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Israel has been spending the last two weeks as a zone manager for the NFL Experience in the Dallas Convention Center, where interactive games are set up for children and other football fans to enjoy, especially those who won’t have the chance to witness the Super Bowl firsthand. A sport management major in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Israel is in charge of coordinating volunteers and making sure operations run smoothly at nine of the games, such as kicking field goals through regulation-size goal posts and running the 40-yard dash.
The Vince Lombardi Trophy, which will be awarded to the winner of Sunday’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, also is on display at the convention center through game day.
“I’ve always enjoyed sports,” said Israel, who is also a history minor in Dedman College and works as an intramural supervisor at Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports. “This experience has definitely been eye-opening, and it’s been the most hands-on experience I’ve ever had. It’s something you definitely don’t get to do twice.”
Israel first heard about the opportunity while taking a class this fall with Michael Lysko, director of the sport management program. A representative from Party Planners West, the organization that has put together many of the festivities associated with Super Bowl week, spoke to the class and persuaded Israel to take the job.
“We encourage our students to take advantage of being in the Dallas-Fort Worth market and get involved in these tremendous events, from the NBA All-Star Game to the Super Bowl,” Lysko said. “Our students have been doing high-quality work as interns and volunteers. We’ve had a very positive response from the industry.”
Israel has been working at the NFL Experience since January 24, when coordinators began setting it up and training volunteers. The event kicked off January 27 and will run through Super Bowl Sunday. Israel said he expects both weekend days to be especially hectic.
“I honestly had no idea what to expect,” Israel said. “My career goal is to do big events, but I’ve never done anything on this kind of scale. The biggest challenge has been making sure we have volunteers spread apart - and with any job, you want to make sure people are happy.”
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