Blue Devils' equipment manager interns with NFL's Jets

MENOMONIE (September 4, 2017) – Adam Mulvey had a laundry list of tasks to accomplish during his six weeks as a training camp equipment intern with the NFL's New York Jets.
 
And at the top, middle and bottom of that list was laundry.
 
Mulvey, a senior from Green Bay majoring in Supply Chain Management, was one of six training camp equipment interns and two seasonal interns, learning the ins and outs on a larger scale what he has been doing the last three season with the Blue Devil football team.
 
As the Blue Devils' senior student equipment manager, Mulvey is in charge of field set-up by getting practice equipment out to the field, getting the locker room ready for daily practices, working in the laundry and repairing equipment.
 
But when asked about his experience with the Jets, the first words out of his mouth were "lots of laundry."
 
Laundry was a large part of Mulvey's experience, but it was far from the only experience he had.
 
He and his fellow interns would arrive daily at 8 a.m. to the Jets practice facility in Florham Park, NJ.
 
"We started off with laundry, then got ready for the walk through," Mulvey said. "Then it was more laundry, get ready for practice, practice and more laundry."
 
On the practice field, Mulvey set up equipment, worked with position groups and shagged balls in the muggy New Jersey summer. Before and after the preseason games, the interns would help pack and unpack the travel bags.
 
After three years with the Blue Devils as the equipment manager, Mulvey started to think this could be something he could make a career out of.
 
"I applied for five internships through the Equipment Managers Association," Mulvey said, "and I heard from two – the Jets and the (Baltimore) Ravens."
 
"Much of the basic stuff we did (in New York) was similar to what I did at Stout," Mulvey said. "Even the laundry was the same, but it was larger and more detailed.
 
"I did learn what to watch for in equipment such as cleats and shoes that can harm the players and could cause injury, such as the arrangement of the spikes on the bottom of the cleats."
 
While the interns did not travel to the one away game in Detroit, they were on hand for the team's two games across the harbor in New York City.
 
"We stayed just outside the players' box and periodically would clean up the area," Mulvey said.
 
Growing up in Green Bay, Mulvey had attended several Green Bay Packers' games at Lambeau Field, and the experience was different.
 
"The crowd was nothing like the crowds at Lambeau," Mulvey said.
 
The interns worked most days at the practice facility, but when the players had the day off, the interns got a half day off. They also were able to do some sightseeing in New York City, traveling to the Empire State Building, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden and the 911 Memorial.
 
While on track to graduate in May 2018, Mulvey is looking forward to the experience on a high level.
 
"I would do this again," Mulvey said. "My next step would be as a seasonal intern."
 
The seasonal intern continues on throughout the regular season.
 
"I love doing it and want to make this a full-time career," Mulvey said. "This internship gave me some great experiences that I can bring back home, along with building some relationships."