Senior Flag Football Coach Vinny Pavese on this year’s flag
The University of Dallas does not have a football team, but that doesn’t stop the enthusiasm for the sport shared by much of the student body. Intramural sports are an enormous benefit to the culture of the university. One sport in particular that generates a lot of excitement and support from UD students is flag football.
“When choosing the intramural season, we always look at sports that the students would be interested in, obviously the game of flag football was highly recommended. It has been going on for several years now and it is always fun to get together with your friends,” said Vinny Pavese, senior Business major and flag football coach.
Pavese, who has had a lot of experience with sports broadcasting at UD, maintains a profound love for the sport and was eager to get involved.
When asked what led him to the position of coach, Pavese said “I decided to become a coach for a few reasons, the top one being I have a knee injury and can’t play flag football. The second reason was because of my vast knowledge of the game, and I thought it could translate onto the field.”
As a longtime fan who analyzes the sport in his free time, Pavese was a natural choice as a team leader. Pavese, nicknamed “The Oracle” for his consistently accurate season predictions for certain NFL teams, has a critical knowledge of the inner workings of the game.
A persistent challenge to UD students is the balance between academic responsibilities and extracurricular participation. Flag football remedies this challenge by creating a flexible schedule that makes it possible for busy students to remain involved.
“The most surprising and most challenging thing about the season was creating a system where everyone can show up,” said Pavese.
The UD community benefits greatly from the influence of clubs and intramural sports, from ultimate frisbee to rugby to swing dancing. Flag football provides an opportunity to play a sport familiar to everybody, and allows students at any level to participate.
That being said, the leadership of the flag football program is looking ahead to even more campus engagement.
“Honestly I would like to see flag football become a club at this school. We don’t have a football team here at UD, so to have a flag football club would be great. It brings a lot of people together and I think it would be very popular,” said Pavese.
Whether you are a freshman looking to meet some friends or a senior looking for a high-energy activity to finish out your time at UD, flag football is a tremendous opportunity to engage with other students.
It doesn’t matter if you were an athlete in high school or if you’re just seeking a chance to pass the time with friends. The flag football program provides UD with a familiar sport in an environment open to players from every background.