Duke in Pics: Celebrating Community at the 2024 Duke Football Employee Appreciation Game

At least 7,500 Duke employees and their friends and family gather for the annual celebration

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Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday night.

“Especially with the transition, being able to have a sense of belonging and participating in these events to give a sense of like what it means to be a part of the greater Duke family really helps give them some stability as we're transitioning from the mountains,” Jones said.

Antwan Lofton, Vice President of Duke Human Resources, shares his thoughts on the 2024 Duke Football Employee Kickoff Celebration.

Among the 30,241 at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium, at least 7,500 were Duke staff and faculty who watched the Blue Devils fall to SMU 28-27 in overtime during the 2024 Duke Football Employee Kickoff Celebration.

Antwan Lofton, Vice President of Duke Human Resources, said events like the kickoff are an important part of celebrating the people who work at Duke.

“We’re always ecstatic when we have opportunities to do two things,” Lofton said. “One, come together as a Duke community and enjoy one of the one of the things that Duke is known for – athletics. But it also is a chance for us to merge worlds, bring our families to meet and greet a lot of the people that we spend more time with than we do our own families.”

Here are some moments from the 2024 celebration.


Photo by Travis Stanley.

Manny Diaz, Head Duke Football Coach, fires up the crowd during the Blue Devil Walk on Saturday afternoon. While loss stung, Diaz called the game “an extraordinary contest.”

“Ultimately, it was not enough to get the job done,” Diaz said. “And I think that’s what is so harsh on our kids. But that’s sports, right? You don’t always get what you deserve, and you’ve got a game where two teams were going back and forth and ultimately, we ended up one play away.”


Photo by Travis Stanley.

Vincent Price, Duke University President, and Paul Grantham, Assistant Vice President for Work Culture and Communication Services, share a laugh with colleagues at the 2024 Duke Football Employee Kickoff.

“One of the greatest strengths of Duke is the strength of its community,” Price said. “The employees who work here do everything to make this university what we are.”


Photo by Travis Stanley.

Divinity School Director of Field Education and Career Development Nicole Jones waits in line for a bounce house with her children Eliana, 13, Galen, 6, Brennan, 11 and Calem, 9.


Photo by Travis Stanley.

Onette Shaw, a Computerized EKG System Technician, said she has been to various employee appreciation events during her 23 years at Duke. This one was special because she brought her grandson, Jordan. They enjoyed inflatable games together and watching the football game.

“What I loved about this year is how excited my grandson, Jordan, was about everything,” Shaw said. “This was the first time we went down to the practice field and enjoyed all the festivities down there. … It will be a forever memory for Jordan."


Photo by Travis Stanley.

Emily Cottrell, Academic Technology Specialist at the Fuqua School of Business, looks on as her daughter, Ava, helps Walter, her brother, apply a face decal. Cottrell said she started working at Duke in July but has been a lifelong Duke fan.

“The Duke Football Employee Kickoff was a wonderful opportunity to share this part of my life with my kids,” she said. “This was the first football game my kids have ever experienced, and for it to have the awe and excitement of a Duke football game made it that much more of a powerful experience. From the fireworks to the dancing, cheering and singing, it was definitely a moment that will be etched into their memories. While this was our first Duke Football game, it most definitely will not be our last – we look forward to many more Employee Kickoffs to come!”


Photo by Travis Stanley.

Amber Fresco, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, and her family came out to cheer on Duke.

“I really appreciate that Duke offered this opportunity to bring out my family to share my love of Duke,” she said.


Photo by Travis Stanley.

Elated fans in Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium celebrate the first Blue Devil touchdown of the night.


Photo by Reagan Lunn

Duke offensive lineman Caleb Krings celebrates a big play during Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference showdown against No. 22 Southern Methodist.

The Blue Devils trailed 21-7 early in the third quarter before a 12-yard touchdown catch by Jordan Moore and a 1-yard touchdown run by Star Thomas knotted the game at 21-21 at the end of regulation.

Southern Methodist scored first in the overtime and Duke answered with a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Maalik Murphy to Eli Pancol. Duke’s potentially game-winning 2-point conversion try failed, giving the Mustangs a 28-27 win.


Brian Aucoin, Senior IT Manager for Duke Health Technology Solutions, won the Working@Duke game day giveaway: a Duke football signed by Duke coach Manny Diaz. Aucoin shared photos during the game using #DukeEmployeeKickoff.

Duke (6-2) travels to No. 6 Miami on Saturday, Nov. 2. The game will kick at noon on ABC.

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