Feature Story
Launching Towards a Career in Sports Management
Tate Rusick (‘25) is using his college education, the support of his professors, and his experience as the first director of football video and technology at Southern Virginia University to prepare him to turn his love of sports into a career.
Since second grade, Rusick has been an active participant in sports. He played football for years on his high school team in Highland, Utah and on Southern Virginia University’s football team, and with his love of sports, he decided to pursue a career in it.
“Sports had always interested me since I grew up around it, and I’ve always wanted to work doing something that I enjoyed,” said Rusick. “I knew I wouldn’t play professional sports, but at least being able to stay around sports and do something that I love was something that I wanted to pursue.”
Hearing about the athletics program at Southern Virginia University from his older sister Bailey Rusick (‘18), an alumni who was a member of the university’s inaugural women’s golf team, Rusick decided to come to Southern Virginia so he could participate in multiple aspects of the athletics program while pursuing a degree.
Now Rusick has graduated with a business management and leadership major and a concentration in sports management, as well as with valuable hands-on experience as the first director of football video and technology for the university’s football team.
“For the past two years I have been given the opportunity to work closely with the coaches as the director of football video and technology, responsible for the filming, editing, and analysis of practice and games and ensuring that coaches and players have access to the film,” explained Rusick. “I feel like I’m at the right place to be able to get that experience to help me take the career path that I love.”
Rusick is appreciative of his coaches and professors who supported and guided him. Instructor of Marketing Jared Covington served as his advisor and taught several of his marketing classes, teaching Rusick valuable skills and offering professional advice from his background as the vice president of digital strategy for the Utah Jazz.
“Covington has been a huge help to sit down and just talk to and get advice,” Rusick said. “The professors know you, they hear you and your peers. I want to remember that and then share that with others.”
Rusick wants to build on the knowledge, experience, and relationships he gained while at Southern Virginia University post-graduation, and plans to look for internships to gain more experience before enrolling in grad school to do a masters program in sports management.
“SVU has given me great experiences, and I would hate to just sit on that for a year,” said Rusick. “I’d rather add to those experiences and continue to help myself prepare to launch into grad school and then into my career.”