Albert Nylander caught a tight spiral touchdown pass from Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly under the lights of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
For Nylander, it was a dream come true, but he’s no wide receiver. He’s director of the University of Mississippi’s McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement and a professor of sociology.
He recently was a faculty-staff guest coach, which afforded him an opportunity to tour UM’s athletics facilities, including the Manning Center and the FedEx Student-Athlete Academic Support Center and be on the sidelines during the Rebels 38-17 win over the LSU Tigers. He also got to watch an Ole Miss practice, meet head coach Hugh Freeze and play catch with Kelly, who has broken school passing records during the 2015 season.
“It was an incredible experience,” Nylander said. “It’s stunning to see all of the work executed behind the scenes, particularly the detailed science involved in the operational management. One realizes there must be much organization with such a large sports complex, but to see the various components of what makes for a great event on Saturday is powerful.”
Nylander and Emily Hornok, a doctoral student who teaches at the Patterson School of Accountancy, were both chosen to be coaches on the field as part of the faculty-staff coaches program, in which all UM sports participate.
Hornok was thrilled to go behind the scenes and see how the athletics department prepares for a big conference game against a rival such as LSU. But she also came away impressed with the FedEx Center and the resources it affords UM’s student-athletes.
The center, which is beside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, provides athletes a place to study and interact with tutors and other advisers who help keep them focused on being the best students they can be.
It opened in May 2007 thanks to a $2.5 million gift from FedEx Corp. The center has computer facilities, study halls and tutoring for student-athletes. It also has classrooms that are used by all students.
“Touring the FedEx Center and hearing about the time and effort the staff put in to helping the student-athlete be successful – both on and off the field – was very enlightening,” Hornok said. “As an instructor of accounting, which is a difficult subject, I appreciate the assistance that is available for the athletes there.”
The focus of the FedEx Center is a model for the nonathletic community, Nylander said.
“The detailed science and care of the whole person make these efforts worth emulating,” Nylander said. “And the remarkable leadership of Coach Freeze and Athletic Director Ross Bjork is embodied in the many people and positions we encountered. It makes me proud to be associated with Ole Miss athletics.”
The McLean Institute and the university’s Council on Community Engagement, which Nylander directs, are thankful to Derek Cowherd, senior associate athletics director for student-athlete development, for his leadership in partnering with McLean to make a difference in the lives of Mississippians, Nylander said.
The faculty-staff guest coach program, which is open for most home and away games, aims to help the campus community have a greater understanding of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics’ mission and core values, Cowherd said. It also helps the athletics staff learn more about the university’s departments and the people who work there. Participants are nominated by faculty, staff and students.
“We try to be transparent in all that we do,” Cowherd said. “So to help in that vein, we offer several opportunities for faculty and staff to see the behind-the-scenes view of just how hard the students, coaches and staff work to make the university and its alums proud.”
Hornok said she thoroughly enjoyed walking around the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center, seeing the athletics training and practice areas, and also walking through the locker room. The center, in the shadows of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, was an $18 million structure when it opened in 2004 but underwent a $12.5 million renovation and expansion in 2013.
The experience of walking through the tunnel and into the stadium, where the players got in some end-of-the-week-adjustments before taking on LSU in their last home game, was powerful for those who took the tour. The group also got to meet the coaches, and many of the players came over to introduce themselves after they were done practicing.
“Every part of the tour was so educational,” Hornok said. “Everything that I saw and heard gave me a much better idea of just what it means to be a student-athlete here on campus.
“I have always respected just how hard student-athletes work, but after yesterday I respect them even more.”
Courtesy of Micheal Newsom and the Ole Miss News Desk
