Duke Football Finds Its New ‘Captain’
Keith Lawrence nominated by peers for special game day experience
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride – no more.
After three consecutive years of finishing second or third in Working@Duke’s annual search for an employee captain for Duke football, Keith Lawrence will finally get the chance to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience on game day. He’ll act as honorary captain during the Sept. 12 Employee Kickoff Celebration when the Blue Devils host North Carolina Central University.
Lawrence, executive director of news and communications with Duke's Office of News and Communications, was selected after a Working@Duke search drummed up nominations from longtime colleagues highlighting how he represents aspects of Duke's Guiding Principles.
“Anybody who’s come anywhere near Keith knows what a dynamo he is,” said Karl Leif Bates, director of research communications at News and Communications. “He knows more people on campus than just about anybody else, has positive interactions with all of them and carries a workload that would kill most people.”
Bates, who has worked with Lawrence for eight years and has attended Duke football games with him just as long, organized a group nomination process to support Lawrence as employee captain. He noted that the honor “has Keith’s name all over it.”
Forrest Norman, a writer at the School of Law, wrote in his nomination how impressed he is at Lawrence’s ability to work with so many people in a variety of news-related capacities.
“Keith loves Duke, and in his job at the Office of News and Communications he works long hours, often having to respond to breaking news at odd times of day or night, handling good and bad situations with speed and aplomb, and always representing the University in a top-notch way,” Norman wrote.
While Lawrence’s daily responsibilities at Duke include coordinating with members of the media and working with faculty to publish op-eds, he rarely relents his weekend to non-Duke activities as well. He’s only missed less than five football games held on campus since he started attending games in 1995. In recent years, he’s also traveled to cheer on the Blue Devils at bowl games in Atlanta and Charlotte.
Lawrence has been attending Duke football games since he was hired in 1995, often accompanied by his son, Eric, starting when Eric was 4-years old and even while a student at High Point University. His daughter, Katherine, was also a regular.
Instead of watching Duke from the stands on Sept. 12, he’ll be pacing the sidelines alongside coaches and players as part of one of his prizes as being selected employee captain. Other activities include:
- Recording a video with head coach David Cutcliffe to broadcast during the game.
- Participating with Cutcliffe during a weekly press luncheon.
- Running onto Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium with the football team before kickoff against North Carolina Central and participating in the pre-game coin toss with officials and team captains.
“It’s an honor to be able to represent Duke employees in such a way,” Lawrence said. “Duke football has brought a lot of excitement for me, my family and my friends, so this is icing on the cake.”
Nominees for Honorary Employee Captain
Below are the names of all Duke employees nominated this year to act as Duke's honorary employee captain; congratulations to everyone:
- Margaret Bowers, School of Nursing
- Charles Hemric, Sarah P. Duke Gardens
- Angela Hernandez, Patient Revenue Management Organization
- Keith Lawrence, Office of News and Communications
- Billy Newton, School of Medicine Administration
- Stefan Oehlers, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
- Roger Poff, School of Law
- Honor Sanderford, Department of Surgery
- Noland Shipman, Division of Cardiology
- Jeff Williams, Undergraduate Admissions