Gator Bowl fans attend parades and pep rallies. Players and coaches enjoy go-karts and bowling.
Volunteers and staff members contribute to making them a success
These are among the many activities planned next week before the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl.
Gator Bowl Events Manager Tom Norton didn’t initially think about a career in sports management. He grew up in Washington, D.C., and thought politics would be his career path.
That was until one fateful appearance on the JumboTron at a Washington Wizards basketball game.
“My family had season tickets to the Wizards and I made it my mission to get on the JumboTron,” said Norton.
“So I danced around and got on the JumboTron. Then I strung together consecutive games where I was on the JumboTron. It got to the point where I would be sitting down, not doing anything, and the camera guys would come over and expect me to do something.”
One of those appearances was viewed by his high school guidance counselor. Norton was called to her office and asked if it was him she saw on the screen. He confirmed it.
“She asked me if I ever thought about a career in sports marketing and if I did, the Washington Capitals were looking for interns,” said Norton.
The counselor set Norton up with an interview with the hockey organization that day. He went home, put on a suit, attended the interview and was later hired.
Norton continued the career through his undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University as a manager for the men’s basketball team. After graduate school, he landed a job with the Orange Bowl the same year it also hosted the FedEx BCS National Championship game between the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners.
After the 2009 bowl games were over, so was his job.
But the Gator Bowl had some openings and contacted the Orange Bowl looking for applicants.
Norton was hired part-time and worked his way into a full-time position.
He acknowledged that staying organized and on top of the schedule was one of the job’s biggest challenges. He is thankful that the organization has dedicated and hard-working volunteers, which he helps coordinate.
“My job is to make sure they have all the tools to put on a great event,” said Norton. “One person can’t put on 25 events in a week without the help of volunteers, and they do an outstanding job.”
Though it may be the most stressful time of the year, game week is also the most gratifying.
“We work all year to put on the best game for the fans, the team and the city,” said Norton.
“I enjoy the satisfaction of seeing people leave events with smiles on their faces. I didn’t appreciate that earlier. I used to get buried in the details and didn’t notice these things,” he said.
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