How a Catering Company Manager, an NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl XXXI Made My Semester

Scholarships, a work-study job, babysitting gigs, Pell grants and loans helped me to pay for college. I also worked summers and over holiday breaks to cover the remaining expenses. In hindsight it was a very small amount, but at the time it made the difference between whether I would be able to return to school the following semester. I ate ramen noodles, off-brand corn flakes and scrambled eggs to stretch my budget. Each semester I held my breath and prayed that I would be able to earn enough money on my own to cover the balance due.

Paying for college was my responsibility. I read the university’s handbook cover to cover and knew exactly how much each credit hour cost and I knew exactly how many credit hours I needed to graduate in four years -- no dropping classes and no summer school.

For reasons I don’t remember, I did not make enough money over the Christmas holiday to cover my portion of the final semester of my senior year. Stressed the hell out, I returned to New Orleans from New Iberia scrambling to figure out a game plan. Enter the deus ex machina in the form of Kenny Hemmer, my friend Pilar’s brother. He was a manager working for Aramark in Natchitoches, the same catering company that managed food operations at the Superdome. One of his colleagues in New Orleans was looking for people to work Super Bowl XXXI between the Packers and the Patriots which was being played in the Superdome. I jumped at the chance. The money earned through the generous hourly rate would get me closer to my goal for the semester. I recruited two friends to work with me. We arrived at the Superdome a few hours before the big game, and we were designated as suite attendants.

I was assigned to the NFL Players Association suite. My job was to make sure that the bar was stocked, the chafing dishes were hot and to manage the guests’ special requests. It was a group of 10 to 12 guys rotating in and out of the suite throughout the night including former players, sports agents and NFL administrators. A gentleman arrived in the suite just before kickoff, and the room turned electric as the larger-than-life attendees each excitedly but coolly waited their turn to shake the man’s hand. Turns out it was Gene Upshaw, a former Oakland Raider, hall of famer and executive director of the NFL Players Association. As the 4th quarter ended and confetti rained down in the Dome celebrating the Packers' victory, Mr. Upshaw approached me, thanked me for the hospitality, shook my hand and to my surprise handed me a tip. I tucked it into my black apron embroidered with the Super Bowl logo and started my clean-up duties. As my friends and I left the Dome still high on the excitement of the night I pulled out the bills and second-lined all the way to the streetcar with the relief of knowing that this one magical night had ensured that I would graduate in my own personal Super Bowl exactly 4 years to the day after my high school graduation. #buzzerbeater #fourthquarternailbiter #magnacumlaude