Drake Maye, Stonehill students head to the Super Bowl

By Annie Renz

Twelve Stonehill students boarded a flight on Tuesday to Santa Clara, California, where they’ll work football’s biggest stage – Super Bowl 60. 

It’s the second year the sports management department organized this opportunity, thanks to Department Chair Annemarie Farrell, who brought to Stonehill eight years of Super Bowl appearances when she joined the college in 2024. 

She built the Super Bowl program from the ground up at Ithaca College, forging connections with the companies Stonehill students now collaborate with. 

Since Farrell arrived at Stonehill, 18 students have gotten the chance to network amongst football’s biggest stars. 

“[Farrell] has made such a name for herself within the companies that we work for,” said junior Lily Newell, one of the students selected for this year’s Super Bowl. “We can only thank her because last year she got to bring six students, and they did such a good job that they got to bring six more this year.” 

Junior Matt Page went on the trip last year and credits the Super Bowl trip for being his “awakening” for working in sports. 

“When Annemarie came to Stonehill, she lit up the room, talking about Super Bowl opportunities, Olympic opportunities, all this stuff that she’s bringing to Stonehill. That got me fired up,” he said. 

Page said Farrell brought students right into the room filled with “VIPs of the VIPs.” Surrounded by NFL executives and clients, Page said he saw a lot of behind-the-scenes work, including handling credentials and media coverage. 

He also said he came in contact with some of football’s biggest names. 

“Roger Goodell walked right by us and thanked us for our job,” said Page. “My favorite story is Sauce Gardner, the cornerback for the Colts. We helped him find his seat.” 

This year’s group of students will spend the first four days of their week-long trip in San Francisco working with GMR Marketing at “The NFL House.” 

Newell said she and fellow student Nick Crespo will be working at member service, where they’ll handle ticketing needs and handle the “hundreds of thousands of dollars of credentials” that clients and sponsors purchased for The NFL House.

Newell said they’ll then head down to Santa Clara for the two days leading up to the Super Bowl for game-day training. 

“Never in my life would I ever believe that I could go to a Super Bowl, nevertheless work it,” she said. “Without Annemarie and Dr. Brgoch, this would not have been possible. And, if I went to any other school, it wouldn’t have been possible.”