Leveraging DII Football Success

How has on-field success helped elevate the exposure of the institution and athletics? How are you tracking the impact it has on your brand, fundraising, ticket sales, enrollment, etc.?

David Hansburg (Colorado School of Mines) - We worked hard before our football team got really good, so we were prepared to elevate our brand once we became national championship contenders. We created the best game-day experience possible. In Marv Kay Stadium, we added a beer garden area, a kid’s zone and improved our cheer and dance teams and our band. We improved our booster club (Oredigger Club) and built up a strong football family and friends club. Football games became great campus and community events.

We also developed strong relationships with the local media. Denver is a pro sports town with four Division I football programs in the state as well. Our Athletics Communications office did a great job pitching compelling stories about our student athletes at Mines to the local media. Our football games were televised locally. This helped us stand out in a crowded media market. 



Once football went from good to great, we were really positioned well. Our games started selling out and local media stories became national media stories. We were ready because our whole athletics staff was bought into the idea of producing a top-notch, high-quality event BEFORE we were national contenders on the field. 

We are definitely seeing more applications nationally instead of just regionally. Anecdotally, our football success has given us name recognition nationally instead of just regionally as well. When I was in Indianapolis for Management Council meetings this summer, Charlie Baker told me he thought Mines had a great brand! That’s a solid data point.

More importantly than increasing attendance, which was already good, we were able to raise ticket prices. No one balked, and our ticket revenue doubled. Our alumni are so proud and our campus fundraising has increased significantly. We are wrapping up a campus fundraising campaign that has raised $484 million so far and athletics has been a big part of the momentum to raise such a large amount. 

The overall revenue from our local sponsors has also grown by almost 300%. It is hard to not love a bunch of nerdy students who win. People want to be part of our Oredigger football success. 

Renee Hellert (Kutztown) - The recent on-field success of our football program has definitely generated excitement among our student body, our alumni and the local community. Game days on campus are exciting and boost the activity and energy on campus. There is great pride in the program and with pride comes a positive campus culture. With last season’s NCAA Regional Championship and a trip to the NCAA DII National Semifinals, the institution saw increased exposure, not only at the local level, but at the national level. This absolutely helps to strengthen the brand of our department and assists in recruiting for all our athletic programs. In terms of tracking the impact, we have seen an increase in ticket sales with those who purchase online in advance. I am sure there will be further impact that is yet to be seen, including final ticket sales for the season, increased retention and improved recruiting within Athletics.

Matt Howdeshell (Central Missouri) - Nothing impacts the overall brand, visibility, and recognition of an institution like a successful athletic department. Possibly the most high-profile sport of an athletic department is a football program. Last year was a record year for UCM Football including but not limited to:

• Tied program record for wins in a season
• Tied program record for furthest advanced in NCAA postseason
• NCAA D-II Player of the Year in Zach Zebrowski winning the Harlon Hill award
• MIAA Football Co-Champions
• Coach Josh Lamberson recognized as the Coach of the Year
• Broke numerous offensive school, conference, and national records

It was also a record year off the field for Mules Football. Some of our highlights last year off the field included:

• Football attendance up 34%
• Overall attendance up 22% (all sports)
• Averaged over 9,000 per game for FB
• Ticket sales revenue up 26%
• Sponsorship revenue up 19%
• Conducted an alcohol sales pilot study, beginning with football and including basketball and baseball.
• Most views on the MIAA Network

The data above has helped us monetize the increase in interest and revenue for football and has been helpful in facilitating conversations with ticket holders, sponsors, and donors for future growth. Some key initiatives to capitalize on this success and metrics include:

• Implemented partnership with Taymar Sales U to modernize ticket sales and sponsorship strategies, adding full-time staff, and maximizing revenues
• Updated ticket sales timeline - season tickets on sale earliest they have ever been
• Renewal rate near 100%
• Record number of new season tickets sold
• Outbound ticket sales approach
• Targeting group ticket sales
• Implementation of alcohol sales to the public at football, volleyball, basketball, and baseball
• Restructuring of annual fund to a philanthropic model
• Annual fund membership up 22% over final FY 24 membership
• Revenue up 36% over final FY 24 revenue
• Suite Enhancement Strategy
• Targeted enhancements of suites
• Updated pricing strategy, based on peer benchmarking, for suite holders to extend their lease, and spread price increases over a longer term.
• Due to high demand, we created a waitlist for suite holders, prioritizing how long suite holders have been on the waitlist and overall investment in UCM Athletics
• Developing strategies for future suite growth to meet demand
• Alumni Engagement
• Reunion plans to recognize 5 championship teams
• Field level endzone hospitality area for all former student-athletes
• Opportunities to purchase travel packages with the team
• Encouragement of annual fund membership
• Major gift cultivation

Kim Pate (Lenoir-Rhyne) - The success of our football program has helped elevate the overall athletic department’s reputation and brand as a perennial national contender not only in football but in multiple sports. We have been blessed to sustain success in football for the past 8 out of 10 years. This past year, our team advanced to the National Semifinals and lost to the eventual National Champion. We have also had two players drafted to the NFL in the past 4 years, including Kyle Dugger, who is the starting safety for the New England Patriots, and Dareke Young, who is a receiver and plays on special teams for the Seattle Seahawks. The exposure we received as a university when Kyle was drafted as a second-round draft pick and the first pick for the Patriots was unlike anything we’d expected. The exposure on national news outlets and social media was incredible. As a result, the Lenoir-Rhyne University name is now recognized by football fans all across the country. 

We have seen our annual fundraising increase significantly and have been able to complete over $30 million transformational facility upgrades with the majority funded through external contributions and support. Notably, we were able to build a new athletic sports performance center and athletic weight room along with an $17 million comprehensive renovation to our football/lacrosse stadium, as well as a complete update competition arena. We have seen annual giving, corporate sponsorship and ticket revenue almost triple. Our social media following has really taken off for both the athletic department and football accounts. Our game attendance at football has increased along with student and community support. We ranked at the top of our conference and 7th nationally in accumulated attendance and 10th in average attendance this past year. We have not experienced an increase in overall institutional enrollment but have seen an increase in athletic enrollment.

Walk us through your schedule on a home football game day. Who are you meeting with? How much of the game do you watch? Where are you looking to prevent “fires”?

Hansburg (Colorado School of Mines) - Our Assistant AD for Internal Operations, Carolyn Dennee, is our football administrator and runs the games. She is the best football game operations person in the country. Our staff is amazing and I haven’t had any turnover on my senior staff in seven years. I don’t come to the game too early or I would just be in the way. We rarely have fires, and if we do, our crew puts them out quickly.

I arrive about two hours before kickoff and will be sure to visit any important tailgates, people or events that are outside the stadium. An hour before kickoff, I will go visit the QB Club tailgate in our East endzone. This is the family and friends of our players and coaches group. There are a few important traditions with the QB Club group that I have to participate in and then I go to the field with about 30-40 minutes left on the clock before kickoff. I like to wish my coaches, the opposing coaches and the officials good luck and a good game. 

From there, I go up to the President’s Suite, where our biggest donors and campus executive team will be. I have learned to be able to watch almost every play while also connecting with the important people in the President’s Suite. 

At halftime, I like to walk through our Blaster Room, where our Oredigger Club members are, so I can say hello to some more key people. I go through the concourse to see how concessions and merchandise sales are going and then out into the beer garden, where I can find a lot of our former letterwinners. Between the third and fourth quarters, I have to be on the field to honor our donor of the game and then I typically stay on the field for the rest of the game. If our opponent’s AD is there, I will try to track them down as well to say hello.

When the game ends, if we win, I go into the locker room for the singing of the Helluva Engineer song. If we lose, I don’t go into the locker room. Thirty minutes after most games end, my staff and I meet in the equipment room for decompression activities and informal quality control discussions. Football gameday is definitely a great day at Mines. 

Hellert (Kutztown) - At Kutztown, our football home games are an “all hands-on deck” operation. Our entire administrative team and support staff have roles and responsibilities each game day. My main responsibility on a game day is to support all of them in their roles and ensure that they have the resources they need to complete their tasks and assignments. Each of our home games has additional programming that takes place, it could be a specific theme, we could be hosting special guests, honoring alumni or celebrating the success in other areas of the institution. My role is to ensure our special guests and honorees feel welcomed and engaged with the event and that these events run seamlessly, without interference of the contest. Most of the “fires” tend to happen prior to the game, in areas of ticketing, traffic, parking, and tailgating, so I can float and be of assistance when needed. I get to watch a majority of the contest but am always alert and aware of what is happening in the areas surrounding the field of play.

Howdeshell (Central Missouri) - When it comes to preventing “fires,” the best strategy is to be proactive. It is important to plan for as many issues as possible in the week(s) leading up to the game and ensure everyone is clear on responsibilities. We are fortunate to have a great team that does a good job of planning ahead to reduce surprises on gameday. When fires do happen, they are empowered to solve them. If needed, I am available to assist.

On home football game days, I like to be very active and visible. I try to arrive at the facility 5-6 hours before kickoff. Each week, I make a list of groups to touch-base with, be visible with and see if they need any support:

• Internal:
• Game operations and management staff
• Officials
• Support staffs (athletic training, strength, equipment, etc.)
• Ticket staff
• Concessions & Catering
• Radio & streaming broadcast teams
• Campus partners
• Cheer & Dance coaches and student-athletes
• Football coaches and student-athletes on the sideline during pregame
• External
• Student-athlete parent, football alumni and Cardinal & Black Fund tailgates
• Walk-through other tailgate lots
• Pregame fan-fest area
• Mule Walk (team entrance to the stadium with band, live mules, etc.)
• Visiting AD and coach
• Pregame & halftime on-field recognitions
• Suite holders and invited game guests
• Endzone hospitality area

I try to watch as much of the game as possible. I prefer watching the game from the field level to capture the energy and enthusiasm and watch the first quarter from here to get a feel. During the quarter break, I will make a pass through the concourse to check on the fan experience and concessions while making my way up to the suites. I will spend the 2nd and 3rd quarters visiting with our suite holders and invited guests, which includes current and prospective supporters. Where I watch the 4th quarter, depends on how the game is going. If the game is close and highly contested, I will watch the game from the field and bring down a few donors/alumni with me. If the game is in-hand, I will continue to visit with our supporters in the suites.

Pate (Lenoir-Rhyne) - As far as game management, I empower my staff to handle the game day operations and logistics. I have a great team and they are outstanding at what they do. Our team does an excellent job of pre-planning ahead of the season and then looking for ways to continuously elevate the game-day experience. We will address any major issues that may arise in game and then recap the following Monday and discuss any game-day operations adjustments that need to be made.

I arrive approximately four hours ahead of the game and make my way over to the gold tailgate lot where our prime VIP parking area is located. This is a really unique aspect of our game environment where our Bears Club members park directly behind the press box next to the practice football/lacrosse field, which is the ultimate tailgating experience for families (safe area with bounce houses, face painting, and kids playing pickup football). Once the gates open, I make my rounds between the Bears Club Pavilion hospitality area, where we host between 600 and 800 members and guests and provide catered food and beverages.

I typically am involved with a pregame on-field presentation and then once the game kicks off, I bounce between the VIP suites, our club seating area, and the President’s Box. I probably take in sixty percent of the game, but my primary focus is on engaging our donors and alums, while also making sure we are providing a high-level game environment for our fans.

While your current coach has had success, how are you thinking about the future of the program to either keep your current coach, plan for succession, etc.?

Hansburg (Colorado School of Mines) - Last season was the third season in a row with a different head coach, but we never lost the nucleus of our assistant coaches. We were fortunate to have great coordinators on both sides of the ball who each became head coach when the position came open. After Pete Sterbick, our current coach, took the team to the National Championship last season, we adjusted his compensation in such a way that we hope he will stay for a long time. We also adjusted our current coordinators and assistant coaches during the last two head coach transitions and we retained them all.

A few years ago, we also implemented a bonus structure for all of our coaches at Mines. The more success their team has on the field and in the classroom, the more bonus money they can earn. This has helped us retain our football staff.

I always hope that my coordinators are developing in a way that prepares them to be a head coach if the current boss leaves. Mines is such a unique school in so many ways. This makes continuity, if possible, very important. This is especially true when a program is having success. 

In college football, you always have to be ready for change when you have a very successful program. We make every effort to make Mines a difficult place to leave for all of our coaches. I am always on the lookout, though, to see what programs are succeeding around the country. I pay special attention to high academic programs where students have to perform in the classroom as well as on the field. Coaches who can succeed in a tough academic environment and who recruit and retain student athletes in those settings have a higher chance of succeeding at Mines.

Hellert (Kutztown) - We are very fortunate to have a highly skilled and experienced coaching staff. Coach Clements is an unbelievable talent that will be very difficult to replace if the time comes. He models a coaching style that is focused on developing each athlete to become the best that they can be while directing the entire team toward a common goal. He is a true educator and motivator. Kutztown University has shown that it is committed to Coach Clements and is supportive of the direction he wants to take KU football in the future.

Howdeshell (Central Missouri) - Last year was one of the most successful football seasons in school history. An important ingredient for success is continuity. Retaining our head coach, coaching staff, and key student-athletes was a priority. Because of the impact that success had on our institution, athletic department, generated revenues, and our supportive president, we were able to offer our head coach a very competitive contract extension with incentives and adjustments to the assistant coach salary pool. We were able to launch D-II’s first fee-free marketplace to assist our student-athletes in maximizing their name, image, and likeness, encouraging them to remain at UCM. In addition, because of the support of our loyal alumni, we were able to renovate our football coaches’ offices and meeting rooms to further demonstrate our investment in the program. All these enhancements were key to ensuring continuity into this season and beyond.

Pate (Lenoir-Rhyne) - This is a real challenge for successful programs, and we’ve experienced a fair amount of turnover of our head football coach in the past decade. We’ve had three head coaches leave for Division I head coaching positions in the past ten years including the last two who both ended up at FCS Mercer University. I joke that Mercer should just send LR a finder’s fee instead of hiring a search firm the next time. In all seriousness, my first goal is to recruit a talented coach at the helm of our program who is a great fit for our university. I am looking for someone who is competitive, ambitious, and has big goals and aspirations for both our program and his career. Therefore, I have never faulted a coach for bettering themselves by taking a DI head coach position. I would love to keep a coach for a long time, but I recognize if they have success, they are going to get calls and opportunities. I’ve had to learn to be prepared for it. Ideally, I’d like to have an assistant in waiting who is ready to step in, but that is not always an option. I have asked the last three coaches to be intentional about recruiting at least one assistant who could potentially succeed them when they get their next opportunity. I also develop a short list of proven successful head coaches and upcoming assistants. I try to maintain ongoing dialogue with the head coach about renegotiating or extending their contract once they have demonstrated success. Finally, we have been intentional about giving the staff the tools to sustain success. 

We provide some of the best facilities in Division II; we invest in staffing to make sure we can attract quality assistant coaches, and we also are leading in the NIL space by partnering with initially Opendorse and now Basepath. Our alumni have also started a collective to provide both endorsement and educational opportunities for our student-athletes. From a retention standpoint, we offer some bonus incentives, but my goal is to make LR the best DII job in the country so a coach will not be inclined to take another DII or low-resource DI program.

What is your communication or meeting schedule with your head coach in-season? How are those conversations structured?

Hansburg (Colorado School of Mines) - I try to check in with my coach once per week during the season. I usually like to visit the football offices late Monday or early Tuesday. I always ask how the film looked from the last game and what the film on our upcoming opponent looks like. As a former football coach myself, I love to hear what Pete thinks from an X and O standpoint. He is a really good coach and hearing his take on things is very interesting and fun for me. I always ask if there is anything he needs from me or my staff as well.

Hellert (Kutztown) - We continue our monthly formal one-on-one during the season, but there are additional informal drop-in meetings throughout the traditional playing season that address more immediate items surrounding game day, player personnel and miscellaneous items. The conversations in the scheduled one-on-one have more structure, as we discuss recruitment and retention of our team, the overall student-athlete experience and the future of KU football. Informal conversations have very little structure and are typically addressing questions or concerns that need immediate attention or just an overall check-in to see how we can better support the program throughout the season.

Howdeshell (Central Missouri) - Last year, in my first year, we met weekly in-season on Monday mornings to recap the previous week and discuss the upcoming week. In these conversations, we each had our agenda items. I let coach cover his items first to ensure he had what he needed from me to succeed. I shared department updates, discussed items for coach to be aware of, asked for program updates, injury/roster/staff updates and opponent overview. This was to ensure consistent and proactive communication while we developed our working relationship. Going into year two, we communicate nearly daily, and our meeting schedule has adjusted to biweekly. 

Pate (Lenoir-Rhyne) - Once fall camp starts, I try not to put any formal meetings on their schedule and connect casually whenever we have an opportunity. I will stop by their office or catch them at lunch in the cafeteria. During the season, I will try to catch them early in the week to check in to get their insight on the state of our team or our opponent and ask if they need anything. My goal is to listen and offer support and to make sure I have a good understanding of where the program is and what, if any, challenges they may be dealing with (on and off the field). I want to make sure we are aligned and lockstep on messaging and the direction of the program. I really enjoy traveling to away games and find it shows support to both the coaches and student-athletes, while also giving me an opportunity to connect with parents and our most devoted fans. I’ve only missed one game in eight years. I can also be a little more of a fan and watch the entire game, while gaining a better understanding of our competition’s facilities and game environment. I always walk away with some new ideas for marketing or to enhance our fan and student-athlete experience.

How do you incorporate your coach into plans to leverage success without distracting from the program? 

Hansburg (Colorado School of Mines) - The most important thing is winning the right way. To increase our chances, I try to leave my coaches alone during the season. As AD, I want them 110% focused on coaching their team and winning. Anything I can do to keep them from being distracted is important. When the season is over and we have another extremely successful year, it is time for Coach to get out there and leverage success with donors, campus constituents, the Golden community and on the recruiting trail. 

Hellert (Kutztown) - Coach Clements understands how the success of the football program benefits our institution and our department. There are constant conversations on how we can leverage the success of our football program with administration, donors and community partners to benefit all our student-athletes and strengthen all our programs.

Howdeshell (Central Missouri) - Our head coach is a great communicator who is outstanding with alumni and community members. Honestly, we probably do not utilize him as much as we could in-season so he is focused on preparing the team.We are fortunate to have a Director of Football Operations (DFO) who helps our head coach and coaching staff to handle most of the administrative, off-the-field items for the program. If there are any administrative “housekeeping” items, we refer those to our DFO. In season, especially, we only include the head coach in high-level administrative items he needs to be aware of. In doing so, we can be efficient with Coach’s time and focus and give him targeted speaking points for strategic appearances: weekly coaches shows, weekly radio segments/interviews, video segments, donor/alumni meetings, community groups, etc.

Pate (Lenoir-Rhyne) - It starts in the recruiting process when hiring a coach to make sure they understand the bigger picture and how important it is for them in their role to engage with donors and both internal and external stakeholders. I would never want to distract from what a coach needed to do to prepare their team, but I am looking for a partner who is willing to carve out time away from the team to meet with donors or attend an important fundraising event. Our external team will work closely with a new coach to get them in front of key groups and donors to introduce them to our campus and community. I also think engagement with faculty and groups across campus is important. In the offseason, our FAR will coordinate inviting the coach to Faculty Senate meetings to speak. It’s obviously a balance, but our external team will try to take as much of the planning and coordination off the head coach's plate and simply ask them to show up and coordinate on what we need them to do.