Sports CaM students land Super Bowl work experience

Super Bowl LIX will live forever in the memory of Eagles fans, a lesson in how the game is played, and won.

But for a group of Rowan University students who took part in pre-Super Bowl event planning, the lesson lives on – and may help launch careers.

Seven students in Alex Yoh’s Sport and Entertainment Event Planning course joined him in New Orleans ahead of the Feb. 9 Super Bowl showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Long before the Eagles crushed the Chiefs 40-22 (and denied them a historic Super Bowl “three-peat”), Yoh’s students helped plan the 2025 Ditka & Jaws Cigars with the Stars fundraising event, hosted by former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, who came to campus in the fall to speak to the class.

This massive annual fundraiser, which took place Feb. 6 at Generations Hall, supports two organizations: Jaws Youth Playbook (JYP) and The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund.

JYP, led by Jaworski, supports builds for playgrounds and ballfields, provides sports equipment, and supports meal and nutrition programs in underserved communities. Non-profit Gridiron Greats, lead by Chicago Bears legends Mike Ditka and Brian Urlacher, provides financial grants and pro bono medical assistance to retired NFL players with financial need.

Yoh said by helping plan the event, students learned what it takes to produce a world class experience, one attended by dozens of current and former NFL stars and hundreds of other high-profile visitors in the runup to the big game.

He said planning for the event began early last fall and was critical to the event’s success.

“Our students worked on projects throughout the semester designed to help plan and support the event,” said Yoh. “They worked on a sponsorship pipeline, researching brands and products that might be a fit with the program, scouted hotel and venue locations, developed a marketing plan and created a social media proposal.”

When not teaching, Yoh serves as vice president of Business Operations for the Delaware Blue Coats, the Philadelphia 76ers G League affiliate, which provides dozens of internships each year for students in Rowan’s Sports Communication & Media (Sports CaM) program.

Well-acquainted with event production, Yoh described the experience students gained with the Super Bowl-adjacent program as invaluable.

“These are the type of things you’d work on as a professional event planner,” he said.

Participating students were chosen from about 30 in his class after completing an application and submitting a resume and transcripts. Class participation was also considered, as was standing in other courses, for the all-expenses-paid work trip.

Those selected were busy ahead of the party, performing a range of duties including guest check-ins, vendor activation and event setup. On-site for the event itself, the Rowan team worked critical roles including staffing for will-call, guest hospitality and a silent auction.

Junior Sports CaM major Raymond Simmons, who runs a photography and videography business, said preplanning for any special event is highly detailed work that can make or break a party.

“I preplan before every event so I know what’s going to happen,” he said.

Senior Sports CaM major Caitlin Sandusky, described the experience as “an amazing opportunity.”

“How many college students get to travel to New Orleans to work on a huge Super Bowl party? I can tell you it’s not many.”

NBC10 Philadelphia covered the story in New Orleans: