“We're All In – Link It Up” has been the operating slogan for the Northwestern State football team. It's about togetherness,” said third-year head coach Bradley Dale Peveto. “To remind us that we're a chain each and every day, and that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”
The link is made up of more than just the players and coaches that are in the forefront for the public's eye, but also the men and women of the Northwestern State athletic program who work tirelessly nearly every day, giving their all while making personal sacrifices for the success of the football program.  These people operate behind the scenes while clocking 12-plus hours a day and taking care of every little detail needed to help the Demons succeed each week, from organizing road trips to undertaking laundry and servicing the physical health and well-being for the entire 115-man roster and 20-member coaching staff.  There are many who have contributed greatly to NSU football, including five essential individuals who deserve their moment in the spotlight for their efforts.
     After serving as Northwestern State's director of football operations from 2001-2007, Dan Korn is in the middle of his second stint with the Demons, wrapping up his second season as the director of football administration.  One of his main duties involves managing and overseeing the video/film program for practices and games. Within that time, the 1994 NSU broadcast journalism graduate has been able to revitalize the film program to make NSU one of the distinct few programs in all of college football to film in high-definition digital video. When he's not working with video, Korn works closely with university faculty and staff and the athletic department's facilities, marketing, media relations and development offices and also serves as a liaison to professional scouts and player agents.In addition, he also assists the coaching staff with a number of administrative tasks from fundraising to recruiting, a task that can be the most difficult aspect of his job.
    “As we go through our workweek, we try to have a contingency plan for everything that happens, staying steps ahead of Coach Peveto,” said Korn. “I've never been around a coach that is as organized as he.  But I love it because I'm the same way. So there's always a challenge between the two of us.”
    John Greely has been working as the director of football operations for the past three seasons, handling the day-to-day off the field administrative tasks and assists with on-campus recruiting. The 27-year-old Baton Rouge native works vigorously throughout the calendar year to uphold the overall operating football budget and make the coaching staff's job a bit easier. His major task begins six months before the first kickoff, as he spends his time searching for suitable road accommodations, writing vendor contracts while also organizing the program's high school clinic camps.
    “I'll start looking, and making contracts in the summer,” said Greely. “From there, I communicate with the hotels frequently—making sure that they know what to expect once we arrived and that everything is under control.  Most of the time, I'm working to make sure that we stay on schedule and being really organized, making sure that everything is done correctly. If not, there are 100-plus guys just waiting for the next thing to do.”
    Jason Drury joined the Northwestern State sports medicine staff in the summer of 2005. In the spring of 2009, Drury took over as the head football athletic trainer for the Demons after working for three seasons with the women's soccer team and one season with men's basketball team.  Every day, he works to help players prevent major injuries, treating current injuring through assisting with rehabilitation including attending medical appointments up to 60 miles away. While managing the entire rehabilitation process of each injured Demon football player, he also maintains detail accounts of the health and well-being of the entire football roster from injury reports to major invasive surgeries.  
   “The keys to our industry are 'prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and assessment of athletic injuries,' ” said Drury. “It's not just about taking care of the injuries once they happen. My job is more about is looking for ways to help prevent injuries, from taping ankles to prevent a sprain to noticing flaws on the field before the team go through their warm-ups. It's the little things like that that takes care of the whole athletic care for the athlete beyond a current injury.”
      Injury prevention is not only handled through the trainers, but also through the equipment manager with providing proper equipment to the NSU football student-athletes. From the best fitting mouthpiece to the correct cleat spike, even the most minute uniform detail can make the difference between a player running to the huddle after a big hit or making a trip to the emergency room. As the newest addition to the NSU football support staff, Philip Noah has been responsible for that task since his hiring in late July. The 2008 Missouri Valley College graduate strives to make sure that the players are consistently in the proper fitting attire so that they are safe when they are out on the field. On top of handling the laundry for the 135-member football crew, Noah also assists with road trip organization through communicating with the home-team equipment staff and overseeing the packing of all of the players' bags and equipment are packed.                                         
     “We take as much extra equipment as we can”, said Noah. “You never know what conditions you will be playing in, so the weather is a big factor in being prepared on the road.  Essentially, I would like to pack everything but the kitchen sink! But, I have to make sure that I think ahead for the players and the coaches and take care of all of the little details, so that they can focus on the major task ahead—the game itself.”
    But for all of these highly-skilled men, there's has to be a strong woman capable of holding the whole thing together. Elizabeth Holloway (or “Ms. E” as most players call her) has been working as the administrative assistant for football, as well as baseball and track and field, since 2001. The mother of two adult children and grandmother of two can't imagine a better bunch of people for which to work. While keeping Coach Peveto on track daily, Holloway's major duty involves organizing the recruitment trips for coaches and prospects' official visits. Through the course of each week, she also coordinates and compiles the players' complimentary ticket list.                                                                               
   After laboring from dawn to dusk for over four months, one has to wonder: what gets them through each day?
 
Dan Korn:
“Being around the kids; working to make them better people and better prepared for life. Helping the players to understand what we are trying accomplish with this program. I feel that what we are doing here is building a foundation, trying to make them better individuals and prepare them for the obstacles in life after graduation.
 
John Greely:
“The ultimate goal is the win. I wake up knowing that if I do my job correctly, it will help the team to achieve that goal and, overall, improve every day.”
 
Jason Drury:
“It's a personal accomplishment to see an athlete from the initial injury to surgery and rehabbing to making it back on the field. Just going through the rehab process for an athlete and see that same player arrive full circle to make that tackle, block or reception, to watch them get back to where they were is just a great fulfillment for me.”
 
Philip Noah:
“Knowing that I have positively impacted our student-athletes, that the athletes can take pride in their appearance on gameday. Without the student-athletes and staff members here at Northwestern, I wouldn't have a job. So I take it as a personal mission to give the student-athletes and the entire department my best effort in everything I do.”
 
Elizabeth Holloway:
                “I just love my job. I've been here for 10 years and I just love being here to support the team and the coaches, win or lose. Go Demons!”
 
    As the 2011 edition of Northwestern State football comes to an end, here's a special thanks to these five people and to each and every member of the Northwestern State athletic department that works to make the Demon link a strong and unbreakable chain.