Cole De Magistris was frustrated. 

It was two falls ago, and De Magistris, then a sophomore, had returned to campus determined to land a summer internship in professional sports. But the world seemed to have other plans.

“I was applying to everything NFL related, anything college football related. And then I branched out to different sports, like hockey and baseball,” De Magistris recalls. “Anything, just to get into the sports industry, get my foot in the door, and I heard nothing back.” 

Anyone who has tried to break into the competitive (yet shockingly low-paying) business of professional sports can relate. There aren’t too many universal experiences in life, but this is one of them: Death, taxes, and rejection emails.

“It was always these automated emails that were like, ‘I’m sorry, but we selected a different person,’ or ‘We went a different way, but thank you for applying. We hope you apply next time,’” De Magistris says. “So I thought, ‘Oh, dang, that kind of stinks.’” 

Hailing from Emerson, N.J., De Magistris finally connected locally with the Rutgers University football program. It was only for a few days during summer 2022, but he gained valuable experience.

“The main thing I did was help work recruiting camps,” DeMagistris recalls. “So kids from all over New Jersey and beyond would come through the camp, and I helped run drills, whether it be broad jump or the 40-yard dash.” 

Having peeked behind the scenes of a football program in the “Power Five” — the five major U.S. college athletic conferences — DeMagistris freshened up his resume and redoubled his efforts to land an internship with an NFL team for summer 2023. 

“I applied to every single NFL internship that I could find.” His persistence paid off: Two teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, responded. “They had me answer some open-ended questions, and I was able to secure a phone interview.”

The charismatic DeMagistris “crushed the phone interview”, and was offered the position.

He was now a “training camp fan engagement intern,” which meant that De Magistris gained admission to one part of the vast world of professional sports marketing. Working at the Vikings’ training camp (“Fan Village”) in Eagan, Minn., he and his fellow interns worked to ensure that the multigenerational crowds that came to watch the players had the best experience possible. 

Today, an NFL training camp is more than just practices for the team. It’s a fan event, with more than 1 million fans attending one of the 32 NFL teams’ training camps each year.

“One of the first Saturdays, we had a record-breaking 4,300 people in attendance,” De Magistris says. “We have a kids zone where we set up cornhole and all these inflatable games. We have giant Jenga. We have all these different fun activities for parents to bond with their kids and play.” 

It’s not just fun and games: De Magistris and his fellow interns are creating the next generation of Vikings fans that will help support a . And the job was a perfect match for De Magistris, an offensive tackle, two-time team captain, and the 2023 �ֲ���ý nominee for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors academics, community service, and on-field performance.

Though the summer gig was paid, it would have been much harder to accept without the support of the �ֲ���ý Center for Purposeful Work, says De Magistris.

“It’s an expensive internship. It’s only a month, and the plane tickets, the meals, the food, the transportation, it all adds up quickly. Purposeful Work was able to help fund this internship for me, which was excellent.” 

The center provided another layer of support to make sure that De Magistris, one of more than 100 Purposeful Work interns, could get the most out of his summer experience. 

During the summer, Purposeful Work interns have regular check-ins with Beverly Vari, associate director for employer engagement and internships at �ֲ���ý. “We have cohorts, and I meet with other interns involved with Purposeful Work who are doing different jobs,” De Magistris says. 

“So within my cohort, I have someone who’s involved with music. I have someone who’s involved with STEM. I have someone who’s involved with a government job. And then it’s me who’s involved with sports. We all get to talk on Zoom biweekly and hear each other’s experiences, learn from it, and then apply it to ours.” 

With Vari’s support, De Magistris and his fellow interns prepare reports about their internship experiences. His report will help guide the next round of Purposeful Work interns who want to work in professional sports. His main advice? “Don’t give up, and use all available resources.” 

Now back on campus and engaged in his own training camp, De Magistris is busy with his studies (he’s a double major in economics and in rhetoric, film and screen studies) and preparing to help anchor the �ֲ���ý offensive line.

“We have 39 first-years coming in so we’re going to be a very young team. I’m excited to take these young guns under my wing here with my fellow teammates and show them the ropes and have a fun time.” 

He’s also eager to mentor anyone else who is interested in working in sports.

“I’m very thankful for my experience at �ֲ���ý College,” De Magistris says. “I feel like I’ve made the right decisions up until now, and if anyone has questions for me, I’m here to answer them. And I would love to talk to them about it because I’m passionate about being in the sports industry and working in the NFL, and if someone else is too, I’m all for helping them.” 

What does the Bobcat say?

For senior offensive lineman Quinn Woods of nearby Minot, Maine, who was mic’d up at the team’s first practice of the year, on Aug. 26, the talk was all about about teamwork, technique, and oh yeah, chicken wings.

Woods, a team captain, went through drills, stretches, and ran a few plays.

“We want to be known as the guys who try way too hard,” he said to his fellow linemen. “We are those guys. Get it going. Today.”

Idle in 2020 because of the pandemic, the football team finished 2019 with a flourish, winning back-to-back games against Bowdoin and Hamilton, respectively. The Hamilton win on Nov. 9, 2019, saw the in 50 years.

�ֲ���ý opens its at 1 p.m. Sept. 18 at Garcelon Field vs. the Amherst Mammoths.

Fans who’ve seen �ֲ���ý football run-run-run the ball on offense in recent years are in for something completely different when the at 1 p.m. Saturday for the 2018 season opener.

The Bobcats are about to flip the script.

New head coach Malik Hall and his coaching staff have brought the air raid offense to �ֲ���ý, which has run the triple option for the last eight years.

The offense is well-known at the Division I level, where , and it puts a premium on passing, with up to five receivers running routes. Where �ֲ���ý ran the ball 70 percent of the time in 2017, the Bobcats could flip that ratio in 2018.

Asked to sum up the new offense, quarterback Brendan Costa ’21 of Westport, Mass., says, “throw, throw, throw!” But it’s a little more complicated than that.

That’s where new offensive coordinator Custavious Patterson comes in. Described by wide receiver Marcus Ross ’19 of Mansfield, Texas, as a “coaching genius,” Patterson comes to �ֲ���ý after stints at Wagner and Fordham universities.

“We led the nation in total offense at Fordham when I was there,” he says. “I remember that it took them a little longer to catch on” than his �ֲ���ý players.

“These kids here are like geniuses. They’ve caught on and acclimated really, really fast. We have a few things to clean up with them, but they’re on it.”

Saturday was certainly a day to celebrate for the �ֲ���ý football team, which defeated Bowdoin 24-17 to earn the Bobcats their fourth straight CBB series title.

But it did not come easy.

“We came into this game knowing there would be some ups and downs,” said senior captain Frank Williams of Brookline, Mass. “You know that always happens with a rivalry game.”

The victory puts this year’s seniors in a class of their own: They’re the first to defeat both Bowdoin and Colby in each of their four years.

After the win, the seniors praised first-year quarterback Brendan Costa of Westport, Mass., who ran for 171 yards and a touchdown, while fellow first-year Jaason Lopez of Marblehead, Mass., added 79 rushing yards and a score.

“They were like, ‘Thank you, thank you,’ Costa said. “I was like, ‘Guys, no. You guys helped me get to where I am today.’ They were unbelievable; they all had great games.”

The CBB trophy remains in Lewiston thanks to young and old alike.

“This is its home,” said Jack Maritz ’18 of St. Louis, Mo. “We’re going to keep it here for years to come.”

It took equal parts good and bad, plus a bit of ugly, for an iconic image from the �ֲ���ý-Colby football game at Garcelon Field on Oct. 28, 2006, to appear in Sports Illustrated‘s special issue, “Football America” (Dec. 4, 2006).

The photograph, featured across pages 46 and 47, shows Jamie Walker ’07 of Needham, Mass., moving a pile of Mule defenders, one of his 43 carries on the day, just two shy of his own �ֲ���ý single-game record.

Later featured in Sports Illustrated, this iconic �ֲ���ý photograph shows Jamie Walker ’07 of Needham, Mass., moving a pile of Colby Mule defenders during a game at Garcelon Field on Oct. 28, 2006. (Daryn Slover for �ֲ���ý College)

Here’s the good. Daryn Slover, a staff photographer for the Sun Journal newspaper on freelance assignment for the �ֲ���ý Office of Communications and Media Relations, persevered despite the wind and rain, only calling it quits after several lenses became too wet to work.

Slover shot the iconic image about two hours into the game. The following Monday morning, �ֲ���ý Communications offered the photograph to the Sports Illustrated photo editors.

Now for the bad: The weather. Some 4.62 inches of rain fell on Oct. 28, including 2 inches during the 3-hour and 15-minute contest, resulting in a flood warning being issued for the nearby Androscoggin River the next day.

Former equipment manager Jim Taylor slogs through the mud and standing water on Oct. 26, 2006, as the �ֲ���ý team awaits the start of overtime vs. Colby at Garcelon Field. (Daryn Slover for �ֲ���ý College)

A southeast wind blew at 20 to 30 mph all afternoon, and despite the look of the photograph, the main obstacles on Garcelon Field were huge puddles, not mud.

And the ugly? The ending, at least from the Bobcat perspective, with Colby winning the four-overtime contest with Brian Bachow’s 22-yard field goal,

Toned by the magazine to make the �ֲ���ý garnet appear a bit more red, this is how the �ֲ���ý-Colby photograph appeared in the Dec. 6, 2006, issue of Sports Illustrated.