Two NFL teams welcomed Marshall Equipment managers to assist with the teams’ training camps over the summer.

Kyle Powers and Jacob Frye assisted the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, respectively, performing duties such as setting up the field for practices and preparing players’ uniforms.

Powers, a sophomore criminal justice and political science major at Marshall University, said he was thrilled to have the chance to work for the Steelers – his lifelong favorite team.

“Being a Steelers fan my whole life, I knew that this was the team I wanted to work for,” Powers said. “A few emails and phone calls later, my dream was finally granted.”

Both Powers and Frye credit their boss with Marshall Equipment, Zach Littleton, for playing a crucial role in providing them these opportunities.

“Without Zach knowing Tom (Wood, Assistant Equipment Manager for the Ravens), I probably wouldn’t have been able to have this opportunity,” Frye said.

Frye said he hopes working with a professional football team such as the Ravens is the next step in working toward his goal of becoming the director of equipment at a university, and he used this internship to gather more information to help him achieve it.

While not being his end goal, Frye said he is already looking on the horizon for the shot to work for another professional sports team, adding he would love to work for Baltimore again, and he is currently looking into a potential chance of working with the Seattle Seahawks or the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball.

Fresh off the heels of the NFL offseason, Powers said he has already found another chance to work for Pittsburgh, as he has accepted the offer to work with visiting clubhouse operations for Steelers home games for the 2018 season. While not completely sure of what the job entails, Powers will be assisting any team that travels to Heinz Field this season to play the Steelers with anything they might need set up. Powers begins his regular season duties Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs visit Heinz Field for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Steelers.

He doesn’t know where all this opportunity will lead him, but Powers said he is excited to continue to garner knowledge while being in the midst of his favorite team.

“I’m most looking forward to the experiences and relationships that I will build as a result of working camp and during the regular season,” Powers said. “My time so far has been outstanding and I will forever be grateful for this opportunity.”

Derek Gilbert can be contacted at [email protected].