We do a lot of the little things that make practice and other things around the facility run smoothly so the coaches don’t have to worry about them.”

Josh Lloyd

Former RTHS student-athlete Josh Lloyd first learned about becoming a student manager with the Iowa football program through a friend who tried out during his freshman school year. 

Lloyd spent his first two years working with the university’s facilities department before deciding to interview and try out for a student manager position as a sophomore. Lloyd, who was one of nearly 30 students interviewed for the role, was ultimately chosen to be one of five new student managers for the football program. Since July, Lloyd has worked alongside Iowa coaches and players, helping set up practices and perform tasks needed to help the program function.

“We do a lot of the little things that make practice and other things around the facility run smoothly so the coaches don’t have to worry about them,” Lloyd said. “We come in around 7:30 a.m. and we have Gator vehicles that go out so we can set up the equipment for practice… We help out with drills and we go to every meal… It’s the Division I experience without playing.”

Lloyd, who played quarterback at RTHS and was a varsity starter for two years, said that his tasks as a student manager include helping the quarterbacks warm up during every practice. While the fall season will conclude within the next two months, Lloyd will continue to work with the program in the spring, helping three days a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Rose Bowl is among the venues Lloyd has visited as a member of the football program.

“It’s nice to sling the ball around every single day,” Lloyd said. “It’s fun traveling to different places I’ve never been to and seeing stadiums I haven’t seen before. We do a lot of fun things  on road games. We get Friday nights off, so we have a lot of fun at all of the college towns. Seeing the stadiums and interacting with the players and coaches are a lot of fun.”

Lloyd said he spends around four hours each day working at the team facility. Lloyd, who said he intends to continue working with the football program through his junior year and into his senior year, hasn’t been affected by the increased workload that being a student manager brings. A multi-sport athlete who played football and baseball at RTHS, Lloyd said that the time management skills he learned as a high school athlete have helped him succeed in college.

“It feels like I’m a part of a team again,” Lloyd said. “We get the same gear that the players get and we get a scholarship break for it. I’ve had a lot of great experiences and met great people.”

One of those experiences included participating in an annual student manager flag football game between students from Iowa and Wisconsin. This year’s game was held at the Iowa practice facility and Lloyd, who played receiver and corner, helped the Hawkeye managers defeat the Badger managers and secure the ‘Rusty Toolbox’ trophy, which the winning team keeps each year. The Iowa-Wisconsin student manager game has been played since 1991.

“It’s a pretty big deal,” Lloyd said. “I heard about it when I was trying out for the position, but I never envisioned that I would play in it… It’s cool because there’s a lot of interaction between players and coaches everyday, but during Wisconsin week, they’re asking us how we’re looking and whether or not we’re going to win. It was really cool to be able to compete again.”

Lloyd is currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management. The RTHS alum was back in town over the summer, when he helped the Rochelle Hub football program run its annual skills camp as a volunteer coach. Lloyd was also on hand when the Hubs faced the Nazareth Academy Roadrunners in the IHSA 5A State Quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 16. 

“I emailed [Rich] Harvey and asked if I could shadow for the summer and he said that I could help coach the football team,” Lloyd said. “The seniors now were freshmen when I was a senior, so it was cool to be around them again. It was fun to see their development. It was also cool to gain experience from the other side and I got to know the coaches in a different way.”