Soon after joining Samford’s athletics marketing team as director of fan experience last summer, Jackson Gibree created an AI rendering of his top priority: a student section overflowing inside the Bulldogs’ football stadium.
With many FCS programs struggling to draw students, Gibree anticipated such a scene might require three years to materialize. Instead, it happened for Game 1 as the Red Sea student section showed up in full force for the home opener against Southern Illinois.
“Looking out from the press box, I was blown away by that completely full sea of red,” Gibree said. “It was unbelievable to see all those students engaged when we were only hoping for a soft launch.”
The turnout was sizable enough that athletics enacted a change for Game 2, registering students for prescanned wrist bands to reduce chokepoints at the entry gates.
“We want students to face no obstacles when they’re coming to a game,” Gibree said. “By preregistering for the wrist bands, they can walk right in and eliminate waiting in line.”
Fresh out of college himself, Gibree, 23, relates easily to student leaders who aim to re-energize engagement at athletics events. He works alongside David Guy, a sophomore in the Brock School of Business’ Sports Industry Program, who serves as the president of the Red Sea.
“There’s enthusiasm building,” Guy said. “We’re being the faces around campus—attending games, working tents and the tables, and trying to give Samford a home-crowd advantage.”
When throngs of students turned out for the Family Weekend victory over VMI on Sept. 26, Guy sensed they were generating consistent momentum.
“Coach John Grass was great to work with during football season,” Guy said. “And we’re super-excited for basketball and what Coach Lennie Acuff wants to accomplish.”
During Acuff’s previous coaching stop at Lipscomb University, he offered a student staff position to Gibree. The young sports management major went on to co-found the Lippy Lunatics, a group of spirit-chanting, face-painted students who brought a raucous vibe to Lipscomb basketball and men’s soccer games.
“Small schools obviously face challenges in convincing students to attend games,” Gibree said. “But when students actually do start coming to games, when they hang out with their friends and get invested in cheering for the athletes they know from class, the small campus can become a positive. With everybody supporting each other, standing and yelling, it creates a great home-team atmosphere and awesome memories.”
Gibree believes the success of the Lippy Lunatics will be replicated at Samford, where he said the goal is “for every student to be a member of the Red Sea the minute they enroll.”
This semester Gibree worked with The Red Sea leaders to merge Instagram accounts and produce more social media content. Just as crucial was seeking students to portray Moses, reviving a former Samford tradition involving the Biblical figure who parts the Red Sea. Plans are in the works to develop themes for home basketball games, including promotions such as jersey giveaways and three-on-three challenges during halftime and media timeouts.
“We’re trying to bring the energy and the hype, and we’re seeing progress,” said sophomore Caiden Nadalo, vice president of the Red Sea.
Nadalo enjoyed a big-time Texas high school football experience growing up in Houston and remained deeply involved in athletics after transferring to a small private high school.
“I think both of those experiences have me excited for what can grow at Samford,” Nadalo said. “The engagement is increasing. We’re constantly meeting new people at the games, and that’s the part I love most.”
