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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Promoting Small College Football

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by Dawn L. Harmon

 

Editor’s note: Jason Dannelly isn’t a football coach. He isn’t a football player either– at least not since college. He is, however, a football fan and it is from this passion that his current venture stems. As founder and owner of Victory Sports Network, Dannelly has touched thousands of lives through relentlessly writing about, promoting, and analyzing NAIA college football.

 

At almost midnight, Jason Dannelly is still going strong. A father and son pass by and thank him for everything. Dannelly stands up and shakes their hands. “I’m happy to do it,” he says. By the end of the weekend, more than 500 people will thank him – and many will do so more than once. He is a celebrity in his own right. Yet, when you ask him to describe himself, he pauses and finally says “I am…um, I am…well, can I get back to you on that?” A smile spreads over his face and he replies, “I guess I am eccentric. Most people think I am crazy.”

 

This particular weekend, he is in Salina, Kansas. It’s another location crossed off on a well-used map. Sports are his passion, collegiate sports specifically. He spent the last decade promoting small college athletics: from California to Kentucky, Montana to Oklahoma. He drove nearly four hours in an SUV filled with boxes full of equipment. Dannelly, founder of Victory Sports Network, is sponsoring the 5th Annual NAIA Senior Classic – a football game featuring players from National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools. “It’s one last chance for these guys to play football,” he says. “I would have killed to play in one more game.” More importantly, it’s one last chance for family members to watch kids do something they truly love.

 

It’s more than just game for Dannelly; it’s a labor of love. He doesn’t just sponsor the game: he plans and coordinates it, selects the players, secures the coaches, schedules the hotel and field, arranges dinner, orders the jerseys, provides color analysis for the live video, and even tapes ankles. He jokes that he is a one-man show, with friends and family helping whenever possible. It’s many hours with little pay. “Some people don’t understand why I do it,” he says. “That’s okay. I get to do something I love – how many people can truthfully say that?”

 

The next morning starts early with phone calls at 5 a.m. and another call rings through during an early breakfast. Players stop to shake his hand or chat and he gladly acknowledges each of them between bites. His phone rings five more times, and he hurries to finish his plate of food so he can stay on schedule. On his way out of the restaurant, a father and son greet him. “They thought they could make the drive from Montana without stopping,” he says. “I’ve made that trip before and I know it is not possible, so I let them crash at my place.”

 

The gesture fits Dannelly’s work style. He drives wherever needed, does whatever it takes, and works in however small of spaces available. Today, his office consists of a folding table, a couple of folding chairs, and wooden benches in a locker room. The smell from previous games still lingers. Players arrive for check in and Dannelly recognizes most of the names. He apologizes to the players whose faces he can’t put with their name. “I know their stats, but sometimes I don’t get to cover them all during the season,” he says regretfully. His phone rings again and he cradles it between his shoulder and ear while continuing to assign players to teams.

 

This call takes longer than most. He is desperately trying to find a ride for players who are stuck in an airport more than three hours away. After several conversations, he finds them a ride with a player from California who rented a car for the final leg of the trip.

 

After the check-in line dwindles, he spends the afternoon readying the press box for tomorrow’s game and makes sure teams are on the practice field before driving back to the hotel to check on dinner. A father-and-son championship barbeque team from Kansas City caters the pr-game dinner. Dannelly met them while covering a game a few years back. “We normally don’t sell to the public,” says the father. “But, Jason…he’s doing a great thing here and we want to help.”

 

It’s another long night of meetings and final changes. He retires to his room around midnight to find it full of family, friends, and football fans. He doesn’t mind – it just reaffirms why he does what he does. “I have met some really good people and have some really good stories,” jokes Dannelly. “I try to keep in touch with the people, but some of the stories probably shouldn’t be repeated in mixed company.” The last statement draws loud laughs as he begins sharing some of the stories.

 

Dannelly is one of the first to arrive at the stadium the next morning. He is busy running cable for the live internet stream. After he places the cameras, he sits in front of the computer to insert a shot of the game clock into the video. “This is my biggest accomplishment of the year,” he says. “I’m really just a football techie geek.”

 

His on-air partner, John Thayer, joins him to tape the pr-game. There is time for only one take and the pair stands in front of an unmanned camera. They compare and contrast the coaches and chat about one of the players. “The player broke his leg in one of the first few games and missed the entire second half of his senior season,” comments Dannelly. “Today, he has a chance to play one last game and end his career on the field, not an injury.”

 

The multitasking continues during the live broadcast. Five minutes into the second half, the live stream disconnects and Dannelly rummages around to fix it. The feed returns after 10 minutes of checking cables, re-establishing connections, and confirming settings. He finally learns the problem was with the web host, rendering his effort the last few minutes futile. Dannelly just laughs and shakes his head before rejoining the broadcast.

 

The game ends with the Nationals winning 17-13. Dannelly races out of the press box to distribute pizza to the players. He shakes two NFL scouts’ hands on his way out and thanks them for coming. Once he is confident that every player has his own pizza and a drink, he returns to the press box to haul the video equipment to his car.

 

Every player stops to thank him one last time. Dads shake his hand and a few mothers give him a hug. A smile crosses his tired face, “I’m happy to do it,” he repeats as he turns his attention back to packing for the drive home. Perhaps it is more appropriate for him to say, “I am driven.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 






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