Gannon Students Depart for Life-Changing Super Bowl Experience

Published: 02/07/2024

The students departed Wednesday, Feb. 7 in preparation for the big game in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 11.

Thirty-two students and two faculty members from Gannon University are on their way to Las Vegas, Nevada to work at the NFL Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Feb. 11. This is the fifth time Gannon students have participated in the NFL’s Super Bowl, the largest sporting event in the U.S.

Eric Brownlee, Ph.D., professor in Gannon’s Dahlkemper School of Business, and Jinhee Yoo, Ph.D., associate professor of Sport Business, coordinated the event to help students gain real-world experience in hospitality, marketing and media through a paid work experience. The students have also carved out time to explore the city of Las Vegas.

See Erie News Now’s coverage of the story, including interviews with Brownlee and Gannon finance major Nina DiPlacido:

Students in Gannon’s sport business program have worked in the past with the local Erie SeaWolves, Bayhawks and Otters sports teams. Brownlee has also taken students to four MLB All-Star Games and one ESPN Summer X Games. In 2022, students worked for Landmark Event Security for the NFL Mexico Game, another paid experience and part of a broader connection that the Gannon Sport Business program has with Landmark Event Security.

In fact, similar experiences have led graduates of the program to secure jobs with the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Pirates, Memphis Redbirds, Erie Seawolves, Erie Otters and Erie Bayhawks.