Aug. 23, 2004

Go behind the scenes and learn how the Athletic Department staff prepares for the 2004 football season. Each week, Cardinal Commitment will feature a different member of the staff that will discus his/her role with the football program. Bob Carruesco (Associate Athletic Director, Marketing) is the guest in the first week of this feature.

Bob Carruesco - Associate Athletic Director, Marketing

Bob Carruesco

CC: What are you doing on a daily basis to prepare for the start of the season?
BC: Preparation for the first football game with San Jose State, Sept. 4, 2004 begins immediately following the last game of last year with Notre Dame in 2003. Everything from the video board production, the entertainment on the field, the advertising leading up to the game, the way the football team enters the field, the corporate sponsors that support the program, the radio network that airs the play by play, the seats that are sold for the game ... all of these areas are scrutinized, adjusted and coordinated.

CC: What is your most important job on game day?
BC: To do whatever we can to insure a safe, entertaining, pleasurable experience for our fans and customers while promoting Stanford Football in the most positive light. In preparing for a gameday, you need to be ultra organized because invariably things will go off track and the more organized you are the better you are able to adjust to the unexpected.

CC: What was your favorite moment from last year's season?
BC: Each season has it's own charms and challenges. I think working more closely with the student body and beginning to develop programs that motivate student attendance and participation was my favorite aspect of last season. At Stanford University there is great competition for extracurricular time and interests. Our goal is to make Stanford athletics in general and football in particular a priority when it comes to the student decision on where to spend their time.

CC: What does "Cardinal Commitment" mean to you?
BC: Cardinal Commitment is something that is believed in and expressed by everyone involved with Stanford Athletics. To be part of such a successful athletic program as what we have here at Stanford, the commitment has to be uniform and lived by everyone involved. Just as the athletes are committed to be as good as they can be, so too must the support staff live by that credo. Obviously, our student athletes and their coaches are amongst the most committed group in all of college athletics. Cardinal Commitment recognizes that philosophy and celebrates it.