UCA Bears’ football coach Nathan Brown loves the taste of brownies almost as much as he loves the taste of victory.
On Sept. 7 during X-period, Brown joined Bruce D. Bear and The Bear Den in handing out free brownies and ice cream by the Ronnie Williams Student Center amphitheater while promoting the Bears’ first home football game on Saturday, Sept. 9.
The Bears beat Texas College in their first showcase on the stripes.
Sophomore and general manager coordinator for The Bear Den, Katherine Eggebrecht, said the purpose of the event was to encourage students to show up and support the football team and to boost school spirit.
“I think the whole goal of it was to get people excited for our first home game on Saturday,” Eggebrecht said.
As students walked by, they were encouraged to stop and grab free treats and were told about the first home game of the season.
Brown represented the football team and athletic department and explained how important it is to help promote his program to the student body.
“I think any time you get a chance to give out something nice to the student body and just the people on this campus, you want to take advantage of that. And obviously, we’re getting the opportunity to promote our first home game,” Brown said.
He said athletic events create one of the best college atmospheres that he wants everyone to experience.
“To me, there’s no better setting in a college atmosphere than a sporting event like a home football game. It’s just a great opportunity to bring a bunch of people together,” Brown said.
The Bears played their first game Sept. 2 at Oklahoma State University and lost 27-13. Despite the loss, the team is looking forward to the rest of its season, especially coming off a championship-winning 2022 season.
“We’re looking forward to hopefully coming back as champions this year. We won an ASUN championship last year, so we’re looking forward to competing and trying to win the UAC championship this year,” Brown said.
Several students stopped to grab a treat and visit with Bruce D. Bear and Brown while walking through campus. The Bear Den provided the brownies from Julie’s Sweet Shoppe Bakery in Conway along with individual ice cream cups. Brown said the athletic department likes to take any opportunity it gets to promote to the student body, and he looks forward to the team doing similar events in the future.
“I think anytime you get a chance to get out in the community or the campus and promote something positive you take advantage of it. Our student athletes will be more involved, we’ll have golf cart Fridays where our players get on golf carts and hand out stickers and promote the events,” Brown said.
Brown said his players are good both on the field and in the classroom, and he is excited for the UCA community to see their hard work.
“We’ve got great players that work hard. They’re good students here on campus, but also guys that really work hard at their craft, which is football, and to be able to showcase that on six Saturdays at home here in Conway, and then obviously five times on the road is a big deal,” Brown said.
The team’s next game will be at North Dakota State University on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 2:30 p.m.
