Turfgrass Major Helps NFL Prepare Fields for Super Bowls

Last January, as the day of Super Bowl XL neared and the nation's anticipation skyrocketed, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks weren't the only teams preparing for the biggest sporting event of the year. Penn State graduate Carrie Thomas and the Super Bowl grounds crew were also getting their hands dirty as they prepared the field for the big day.

"The feeling of standing on the field for one of the largest sporting events of the year is absolutely indescribable," she says. "I wish I could put into words what it felt like as the day of the Super Bowl approached. We were working and working and working, and suddenly we realized that the Super Bowl was the next day. I felt like a kid again on the night before my birthday."

Thomas is currently a member of the National Football League's Super Bowl grounds crew, which is composed of some of the best turfgrass workers in the nation. Not only does her two years' experience at both Super Bowl XXXIX and XL include working with both synthetic and natural turfs, but also meeting players such as Tom Brady, Jerome Bettis, and Ben Roethlisburger.

Turf team members also caught footballs launched by kickers as they prepared for the big game. Along with getting the opportunity to participate in practice, Thomas bumped into Will Smith, the Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney while working on the field and got to chat with the stars. To top it off, on game day Thomas found herself watching the players dash for touchdowns from the comfort of the end zone.

Originally attending Penn State for engineering, Thomas switched majors and schools to receive a degree in health sciences at Lock Haven University. She soon found herself back on familiar ground, however, once she returned to Penn State to receive degrees in the College of Agricultural Sciences' turfgrass science and landscape contracting programs.

"I enjoyed my classes a lot in both majors," she says. "I was surprised to find how energetic the teachers were and how exciting the classes were. I really enjoyed the quality of education I received at Penn State."