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Duke football wants an honorary employee captain

Your Duke colleague could be the one running out of the tunnel onto the field with Duke's football team. Working@Duke is accepting nominations for an honorary employee captain.
Your Duke colleague could be the one running out of the tunnel onto the field with Duke's football team. Working@Duke is accepting nominations for an honorary employee captain.

From July 21 through Aug. 4, Working@Duke is accepting nominations for Duke football’s honorary employee captain to highlight a faculty or staff member who goes above and beyond in the workplace.

With your help, the off-the-field talents of a faculty or staff member will get him or her on the field during the Employee Kickoff Celebration football game against Elon University on Aug. 30.

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When providing nominations, Duke community members are encouraged to highlight how a nominee excels in areas of Duke’s Guiding Principles, which are trustworthiness, respect, diversity, learning and teamwork.

As part of the recognition, the faculty or staff member will experience Duke football from a player's perspective the week of the game. While the honorary captain won't get the chance to punt, pass or kick, one winner will join the Blue Devils for team activities, including:

  • Participating with head coach David Cutcliffe during a weekly press luncheon.
  • Running onto the field at Wallace Wade Stadium with the football team before kickoff against Elon University and participating in the pre-game coin toss with officials and team captains.
  • Watching the game against Elon from the sidelines.
  • Recording a video with Cutcliffe to broadcast during the game.

Last year’s honorary captain, John Caccavale, said his experience with the football team was part of the “best weekend ever” for the 1981 Duke graduate and executive director of the university’s Financial Economics Center. He was named last year’s captain after receiving 64 of 95 nominations.

“Being on the sideline, I realized how much work it is to run the football game and the amount of detail, timing and coordination it takes,” he said. “I loved running through the tunnel and coming out onto the field to the cheering crowd.”

Faculty and staff can nominate coworkers by filling out an online form. Nominators are encouraged to share details about why their nominee's performance in the office, classroom or lab should be recognized on the field as an honorary captain.

Nominations are due by 5 p.m. Aug. 4. This year’s captain will be announced the week of Aug. 11.