ROCHELLE — When the Oakland Raiders scored two touchdowns in nine seconds to beat the New York Jets in November of 1968, no one except the fans in the stands saw it.  The Network cut to a movie instead. With just 65 seconds on the clock, NBC switched from the game to its previously scheduled programming, a made-for-TV version of the children’s story, “Heidi”.

Viewers were outraged and the network learned a lesson: You never interrupt coverage of an NFL game. NBC execs had actually changed their minds and were trying to call the control room to say, "leave the game on". Unfortunately, lines were jammed by thousands calling to get “Heidi” aired as scheduled. Thousands more were calling to keep the game on the screen.

Not long after the “Heidi” debacle, the NFL inserted a clause into its TV contracts guaranteeing that all games are broadcast completely in their home markets. NBC even installed a new line, called the Heidi Phone, in the control room with its own exchange and switchboard.

Keep the Heidi Bowl in mind as you tune in to Super Bowl LII on Sunday, Feb. 4 because this year, the Rochelle Hubs have a stake in its success.

Alumnus Dane Hendrickson (Rochelle Township High School Class of 2002) is a production engineer. His crew will set up the studios, sound and lights enabling NBC to broadcast the game.

“My company, The NEP Group (Pittsburgh), is a vendor for companies like NBC,” Hendrickson said last week. “Production equipment is sophisticated and expensive. The stadiums and theaters from which these huge events are broadcast aren’t outfitted with production equipment and that’s where we come in.”

This week, Hendrickson leaves the 80-degree Florida sunshine for the frigid air of central Minnesota (2 degrees) where the forecast calls for nightly lows of -13 degrees to a couple of daytime highs that may or may not creep above freezing.

“The irony isn’t lost on me,” he said, explaining he and his crew will arrive in Minneapolis next week and live there for about 21 days until the game is over and the sets, lights and cameras are torn down and packed up. “Fortunately, US Bank is a domed stadium,” he said.

As you’re watching, take special note of the pregame and postgame shows.  If all goes well, know Hendrickson and his team will be smiling. They were not smiling on the day of the Super Bowl in New Orleans when the building and the entire city block in which they were working lost power.

“We employ generators, but man; there was about 20 minutes of complete chaos determining the source and extent of that power outage,” he said.

Hendrickson’s career has allowed him to travel and meet people he only dreamed of meeting when he was a student in Rick Bunton’s tech & production class on the 1921 RTHS campus.

“Actually, I want to thank Mr. [Ed] Garrison, my guidance counselor, for steering me in the right direction,” Dane said. “When we talked about the kinds of things that interested me, Mr. Garrison suggested I check out Columbia College in Chicago, so I took a couple of classes there the summer of my junior year and found my niche.”

Hendrickson enrolled in the NIU School of Communication and Media Studies where an internship allowed him to broadcast the Midnight Mass from Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral. Following graduation, he hit the road with the Chicago Cubs and White Sox producing their away games.

“Traveling was hard at first, but looking back I realize I have been in all but 3 US states and have made friends all over the country,” he said.

His company won the contract to provide coverage of figure skating at the upcoming winter Olympics in South Korea.

“For TV viewers, figure skating is one of the most popular events at the Olympics,” he said. “Outside of our studios, all of our typical production facilities are 53-inch trailers configured for production. In this case we are taking an existing trailer used for Fox NFL during the regular season. We are literally placing it on a barge and shipping it to South Korea to cover the figure skating.”  

Hendrickson has had the opportunity to produce music festivals like Chicago’s Lollapalooza as well as operas; even a Bob Saget comedy special. If you are a fan of Steve Harvey’s Family Feud game show, you have Dane Hendrickson to thank.

“The show is shot in Los Angeles, but Steve Harvey actually lives in Atlanta, so over the last 4-5 years for the three months he’s at home, our crew moves to Atlanta and builds a set in the Atlanta Cultural Center,” Hendrickson said. “We have recorded about 1,000 episodes which the Atlanta fans who can’t get to LA really appreciate.”

Hendrickson has also worked Thursday Night Football games, 3 Chicago Blackhawks Championships, and a personal highlight -- Chicago Cubs games in the Friendly Confines.  

“I am a lifelong Cubs fan,” he said. “Wouldn’t you know the year I moved to Orlando was the year of the World Series. It was fantastic nonetheless.”

To clarify his role in the Super Bowl 52 broadcast, Hendrickson brought it back to RTHS.  “Mark Klouse is your director of maintenance and Will Wise is your IT director,” he said. “That’ll be my role leading up to the pregame and through the postgame show on Super Bowl Sunday. I’ll be a combination of Mark Klouse and Will Wise.”