Erik White – Student Football Coach

As a sophomore at West Texas A&M, Erik White has enjoyed the opportunity to attend many football games, but not just as a fan. He is one of fewstudents to walk on the field as an assistant coach for the Buffaloes.

“Erik White has really helped us out this season,” said head football coach Don Carthel. “We found him in a class that Coach Nesbitt was teaching. Erik was a young guy who wanted to be around coaching and maybe do coaching as a career, so we made him a student coach. He is doing a great job for us.”

As a coach for WT, White has been able to experience what it takes to be a coach at the collegiate level.

“Erik gets up here at 6 a.m. some mornings,” Carthel said. “Sometimes he will work until after midnight. He doesn’t get paid a dime. He just wants to be a part of something special and get it on his resume. Erik is a good example of a student that can really help and get involved in WT football.”
White assists Coach Mike Nesbitt with special teams during practice and games, but his efforts are not limited to the field.

“At practice, it’s my job to chart the kicker’s performance: how far they kick the ball and whether they make the field goal,” White said. “I work with them on any special fakes we might use during the game. I also work with the kickers before the game and during half-time, making sure they are ready to go.”
White also gains work experience by assisting Nesbitt in the office, setting up film for the team, and helping with new recruits for the Buffaloes.

“One of my goals for the future is to be a coach,” White said. “I’d like to coach at the college level or high school. This job is helping me because I get to know all of the coaches that work at WT, and I also get to know all of the high school coaches in the area because I go see them when we do recruiting.”

The position is open to any student who has a desire to get engaged with WT football.

“I would recommend this job to any other student that had a sincere interest in football,” White said. “It’s really difficult work for someone who doesn’t really have that interest. But, if you want to be a football coach, I would recommend it. It definitely gives you the experience you need.”

The Buffaloes are always looking for hard working student assistants willing to commit to the team.

“If there are some more students out there like Erik, we’d love to have them,” Carthel said. “Erik is a great worker and fun to be around. He is very positive and brings a lot of energy to practice every day.”

White is a sports and exercise science major at WT with a minor in history education. This semester, he is helping with spring football practices. White plans to charge the field with the Buffaloes in the fall.

Rachel Zurbriggen – Media Relations Student Assistant

The athletic department and WT has many job opportunities for students. Maybe one of the most unheard of positions is that of media relations assistant in the sports information department. For over a year, senior Rachel Zurbriggen has been working behind the scenes at WT’s athletic events for the media relations department.

“I don’t think people realize that our department exists,” Zurbriggen said. “They don’t know that the things they see on the news comes directly from us.”

The sports information department is responsible for keeping the official statistics during games, turning out press releases and recaps and keeping local media informed on WT Athletics news.

“This job is great for someone who doesn’t like a structured routine,” Zurbriggen said. “We have office hours during the week, but you may work a 12 hour day during a tournament. Sports is definitely something fun that a lot of people get into. It’s a really exciting atmosphere, and no day is the same.”
Each student assistant is placed in charge of a sport for WT. This year, Zurbriggen headed as the men’s soccer contact and no co-heads as softball contact.

“If I am in charge of the sport, I keep the stats,” Zurbriggen said. “If our team is away, I make sure the host team has all of our rosters and information. We write the stories and press releases after the games that you see on gobuffsgo.com.”

Because of its demands, this is one of the few positions for students in the athletic department that is paid.

“Our student workers are vital to the success of athletics,” said assistant media relations director Andi Leavitt. “Especially in sports information, we couldn’t do the things that we do on a full time basis if we didn’t have the assistance of our students. I think it’s the little jobs that they do that really make the difference and make our jobs so much easier.”

Zurbriggen plans to use the experience gained in the sports information office to help her in her future career.

“If I could do something similar to this job in the future, that is what I would prefer to do,” said Zurbriggen. “If I could be a sports information director at a university or work in the marketing department or media relations department for a professional sports team, that would be what I would enjoy doing. This job directly relates to what I would be doing for a professional team.”

Zurbriggen is working on a bachelor’s of business administration in international business.

Mari Stoeber – Athletic Training Student Assistant

Sophomore Mari Stoeber helps with the athletic department by volunteering as a student trainer for WT. With the aspiration of becoming an NFL trainer, Stoeber is gaining experience through WT’s athletic training program.

“My biggest goal is to be a NFL trainer, and this job is really going to help me because we are an accredited program,” said Stoeber. “It’s a really good program, and it’s going to gear me up to do my graduate assisting somewhere that has a big football program.”

Unlike some other jobs on campus, student athletic trainers are unpaid. Trainers must be committed to the experience and learning from their daily responsibilities.

“If we are in the training room, we are doing a lot of rehab,” said Stoeber. “If any athlete comes in, we have to help them with their injury. We get water bottles ready, get coolers ready and set up the field for practices. During practice we observe, and if something happens we go out. After practice, we clean up and make sure everything is ready to go for the next practice.”

There are student trainers assigned to every sport at WT. Currently, Stoeber puts in about 30 hours every week due to spring football practices. While football is not going on, Stoeber logs about 10 to 12 hours weekly.

“Mari does a really good job in the athletic training education program,” said head athletic trainer Ron Husley. “She is always willing to work and put in extra hours. While most students are on spring break, she is up here helping and being a really vital part of our program.”

This job is not for the faint-of-heart. With long hours, numerous responsibilities, and no pay, this job requires a certain type of worker.

“I would recommend this position to other students if it is really what you want to do,” said Stoeber. “If you don’t love it, you’re not going to make it. We put in a lot of hours. You have to be dedicated and ready to really work. If it is what you want to do, it is amazing. I personally love it. It takes a strong-willed person to do this job. If this is your goal, then this is a great job to have.”

The athletic training education program offers more to its students than lines on a resume. The experience gives the students a front row view into what it’s like to be a trainer.

“My favorite thing about this job is actually being able to be on the field,” said Stoeber. “Football is my favorite sport, and I never got to be on the field for a football game. The first time I did, it was just the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.”

Stoeber is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training and plans to double-major in Sports and Exercise Science next fall.