For seven NIU graduate students, Super Bowl Sunday was much more than hot wings and cold beer.

Those seven students were given the opportunity to volunteer in New Orleans last week for the Super Bowl.

“Overall, it was a wonderful experience,” said Cassie Bradley, graduate sports management major.

Rodney Caughron, director of Graduate Studies, received a tip from an intern at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation in regard to a volunteer opportunity. The Grad Sport Society (GSS) posted the event for graduate students in the Sports Management Program in October.

In order to attend the trip, volunteers were required to be 18 or older, a graduate student, and they had to pass a background check.

Funding for the hotel and transportation was provided by the NIU GSS. The GSS held fundraising events prior to the trip. The students were responsible to pay for their food and other expenses. The GSS will continue to fundraise to help bolster the costs that the students paid out of pocket.

The students took a university bus to their hotel, which was about 15 minutes from downtown New Orleans. The students arrived in New Orleans on Jan. 30.

“We walked around Bourbon Street, we saw everything,” said Michele Bailen, graduate sports management major.

The students participated in four shifts throughout the week.

There were also students and professors from other universities who were volunteering.

Before each event, the volunteers attended a quick orientation for their assigned task. They were then given credential passes.

Some of the responsibilities included working the NFL Experience, which is an activity where fans get the opportunity to run plays on the field and other various activities.

“One of the more memorable experiences I would say was actually getting to experience what the NFL players do,” Bradley said. “So, besides helping the fans do their experience, we ourselves got to see what it was like firsthand to maybe run the routes or just behind the scenes working to see what it took to actually run the Super Bowl.”

The volunteers had the opportunity to pass out beads to VIPs at an invitation-only tailgate party.

While working the VIP tailgate party, the students caught sight of several celebrities.

“There were numerous famous people that we welcomed: Dr. Oz, Terry Crews, Sean Johnson, John Legend,” Bradley said.

The volunteers were responsible for passing out the blue lights that were lit up in the stands during the halftime performance.

“We grew a lot this past weekend, we networked and it was just an overall great experience,” Bailen said.

The students got back in DeKalb on Tuesday. Bradley and Bailen said the trip provided a once-in-a-lifetime experience they will never forget.

For more information regarding the Grad Sport Society visit: http://www.gradsportsociety.com/index.html