By Lindsey Besecker
Assistant Sports Editor
With basketball season approaching, T-shirt giveaways, the new logo series and, hopefully, full stands at Firestone Fieldhouse will come with the teams. And one person has been working on all of these things in hopes of bringing some athletic excitement to Pepperdine students.
Eric Foote, Pepperdine’s assistant athletics director for external affairs, has been working at Pepperdine for a little more than a year, but he has already helped introduce the new logo series — which can be seen on the Fieldhouse floor, and on new uniforms and athletic apparel — and a new athletics Web site. And he isn’t stopping there.
Foote hopes to get more students at athletic events this year through In just more than a year at Pepperdine,
various means. T-shirt giveaways, Eric Foote has helped create a new logo
Southwest Airlines tickets and 24 series for the Athletic Department and
Hour Fitness gym passes have and has focused on drawing students to
already been scheduled for to sporting events.
basketball games. Mesh hat
giveaways and an In-N-Out truck are ideas still in the works.
“It’s so hard to get students to attend events here,” Foote said. “That’s a huge emphasis for me this year. I don’t know what it’s going to take — there’s just so much to do here.”
Foote said bigger colleges, such as UCLA and University of Southern California, are not big competitors for audiences that Pepperdine normally draws.
Weather could keep people from the games, and distance is a factor for fans who do not live in Malibu.
“To drive from Santa Monica, to drive from Thousand Oaks, it’s not the most convenient thing to do,” Foote said. “Other than students, it’s a commute for our fan base.”
However, the multitude of things for students to do around Malibu and the rest of Los Angeles is the biggest thing that draws students away from Pepperdine events.
“There are so many entertaining things to do in this area that it’s a challenge,” Foote said. “I want to increase awareness of games. Once (students) get here, I want them to have an experience they’ll remember.”
Foote has been working on ways to make athletic experiences memorable. It is convenient enough for students because tickets are free for faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students with an ID.
Foote is looking for five or six people to play as a show band during home games. Giveaways and free food have become a part of many home games. And Foote has lined up television tapings for 16 basketball games — most of which will be aired on ESPN and FOX Sports stations.
“I’m just trying to be creative and catch the interest of the students at Pepperdine,” Foote said. “The fans that will be there … I want them to be there to enjoy the game, to support the team. I just want to make the experience more memorable.”
The community will also have a chance to get involved at the games. The Special Olympics, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have special nights dedicated to them, and some local companies will have employee nights throughout the season.
Sam Lagana, Pepperdine’s athletics advancement officer and Foote’s coworker, said Foote works as a team player and gets a lot of input from other staff members.
“The energy and enthusiasm he has brought has been terrific,” Lagana said. “He has a great ability to relate to the students, which is critical. He’s got a very good work ethic and a strong understanding of what we need to accomplish.”
Lagana said he enjoys sitting with Foote and “bouncing ideas off the walls for each other.” He said they have students bring in ideas as well to keep the ideas fresh.
“What we have now is a better orchestrated feel and a synergy for promotional activities that involve students,” Lagana said.
On top of trying to bring people to the games, Foote is also in charge of bringing in revenue for the Athletics Department. Foote has contracted a number of corporate partnerships and trade outs. Merchandise and ticket sales will also bring in revenue for the department.
“My biggest goal is to bring in cash through corporate sponsorship, through branding and through ticket sales,” Foote said, adding that men’s basketball brings in the most money and because of that, more focus is put on the home basketball events.
All of these ideas come from a long history in athletics and a long list of professions in the marketing and promotions fields.
He has been working in the marketing and promotions business since he graduated from Western Illinois University with a Master’s of Science in Sports Administration.
Foote was raised in Iowa and went to school in the area until he left to earn a graduate degree. In high school, he played five sports – basketball, golf, baseball, football and track – and received scholarships to play basketball at Truman State University in Missouri. He transferred to Wartburg College his junior year to play basketball and golf.
Foote worked at various universities and organizations in the Midwest until he came out to Malibu to work at Pepperdine.
“Pepperdine is just a great college institution, academically and athletically” Foote said. “It has a great reputation for both academics and athletics. It has very successful programs, men’s and women’s. I knew it would be a good place to come and learn.”
When it comes to the many responsibilities Foote has, he looks at everything as a chance to learn.
“It’s a great, great opportunity,” he said. “It’s untapped, this market is, as far as sponsorships. It’s (a) relatively new athletics (program) — we’ve only been around since ‘74 — so it’s a good time to come and help build a tradition.”
With the ideas Foote has set forth, hopefully that tradition will continue to grow.
November 13, 2003