Sept. 7, 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 Stanford Football program. Carl Reed (Assistant Athletic Director, Operations and Events) is this week's guest. CC: What are you doing on a daily basis to prepare for the upcoming football game?

Assistant Athletic Director Carl Reed

CR: I'm in charge of the overall operations of a home football game. This includes weekly meeting with representatives from the coaching staff, Palo Alto and Stanford Police Departments, The Palo Alto Fire Department, Stanford Marketing and Promotions, our Development Office and our gameday staff. This is just a small number of people that I need to make contact with in order to make our home football games run smoothly.

CC: What is your most important job on game day?

CR: The most important job I have on game day is to make sure it is an easy flowing day without my "bumps" in the road. This simply involves making sure the correct information gets to the correct people (i.e., our fans and visiting team) to insure their experience here at Stanford is an enjoyable one.

CC: If you could tell the average fan one thing about Stanford Football that they may not know, what would that be?

CR: That once the gates open and the game begins, my job is smooth sailing from there. Everything is build up to the time gates open and the football game begins, the event "runs" itself.

CC: What is your most memorable Stanford Football experience?

CR: At the USC game in 2003 when Oshiomogho Atogwe made a great play on a kickoff to USC, where he took the ball away from Marcel Allmond on the return and ran 22 yards for a touchdown.

CC: What is your Stanford Football goal?

CR: To make sure the team and the coaches don't have to worry about what is happening in the stands. That they can concentrate on coaching our team to a victory.

CC: What do you want to achieve this season?

CR: To ensure that we have the greatest gameday experience for our fans and the supporters of Cardinal Football.

CC: What do you want the team to achieve this season?

CR: To truly see the "fruits of the labor" and hard work. To have a great season and be proud to wear the Stanford Football uniform.

CC: What does "Cardinal Commitment" mean to you?

CR: To be able to do my job and continue to love doing what I do. To ensure that the hard work of my staff doesn't go unnoticed and they continue to enjoy their jobs.