Gridiron Glory 25: where are they now? Season 18 host

When Dani Dean came to �� from Mason, ��, she wanted to be a sports sideline reporter or work for ESPN, and she quickly got involved at WOUB to get the experience she needed to get there.

“I chose �� because it had the best journalism school in the state and I fell in love with the beautiful campus,” said Dean. “I also heard about the opportunities for students at WOUB and that was so unique compared to other programs across the country. I was impressed that there were student professional opportunities from day one.”

Dean jumped at the chance to get involved with Gridiron Glory almost as soon as she arrived on campus.

“I got in at WOUB right away and as a freshman I felt very welcome,” said Dean. “I started on Gridiron by going out with the crews that were covering games, taking notes and just soaking up a bunch of different things. I wrote recaps for the website, kept stats and sometimes helped to edit stories for the show.”

During her sophomore year, Dean continued behind the scenes of the show – helping cover a conference and learning how the show was put together. During high school basketball season, she started working on WOUB’s Hardwood Heroes and gained some on-air reporting experience.

“By the time I got to my junior year, I was ready to be an on–air reporter for Gridiron,” said Dean. “I loved it so much. One of my favorite things was to go out to cover the games and hear from the fans in those communities. They loved Gridiron and it was awesome to see. That’s when I realized that people really watch this show. The community, the players and the parents really paid attention and were so excited for Gridiron. The exposure Gridiron gave some of the players who may not have gotten it before was also awesome. Having that be a driver for what you are doing and seeing the impact was inspiring.”

As Dean’s senior year approached, she knew she wanted to put her name in for consideration to be the season 18 host. There had not been a female host of the show since season 1.

“It was a goal of mine to be host. I knew it was a lot of work and a big leadership position. Sports is such a male-dominated field, and I knew to be the host of the show as a female would be a big deal,” said Dean. “When I found out that I was named host, it meant a lot to be that person and representation for women in the sports field.”

After graduation, Dean used her experience, journalism degree and marketing specialization to get a job working in marketing at �� State. She is currently associate director of social media at the university.

Now with Gridiron in its 25th season, the third female host of the show, Hailey Hollinger, is at the helm, and Dean couldn’t be more proud.

“I’m so glad that it’s continuing to thrive,” said Dean. “I truly look at Gridiron as one of the best, if not the best, learning experiences I had in college. It’s incredible to look at where it started, when I was host, and now. I still follow along on social media and love to see everything they are doing. The opportunity this program has given to students and how it continues to improve is amazing.”

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