Monday, October 25, 2010

Celebrity Servers

USF Sport Management’s very own Fayne Cohen, with Octagon Football, helped host the Celebrity Servers event to help raise funds to benefit the John Ricksen fund of the Children’s Hospital & Research Center in Oakland. San Francisco 49er’s Takeo Spikes, Patrick Willis and Travis LaBoy, Oakland Raiders’ Lamarr Houston, and special guest server Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors helped raise money and awareness for cancer research. The Plumpkack Group and Octagon Football Bay Area professional athletes served guests from behind the bar while signing autographs and mingling with the crowd. Fayne, a current member of Cohort 33, was assisting with raffle tickets for autographed footballs, tickets to games, special travel packages and sports memorabilia. A portion of the proceeds from the drinks poured and raffle tickets sold went directly to cancer patient treatment and research at Children’s Hospital & Research Center in Oakland. In total, the servers were estimated to raise around $10,000 for the cause.


Fayne recently started working with Octagon Sports as the Football Marketing Intern. She helps agents, the director of client services and the director of public relations with sponsorship research, marketing ideas and booking player appearances. Fayne was lucky enough to have her opportunity waiting for her in front of Professor Cellini’s office. “I was in the program office one day and happened to meet CJ LaBoy (an NFL agent with Octagon and alum from our program) as we were both waiting to meet with Cellini,” explained Fayne. “CJ overheard me asking about Octagon and said that he worked there. I have always loved Octagon since I went to their headquarters in DC during my undergrad at University of Maryland. We started talking and then I did an informational interview with CJ for Cellini’s class, and he had mentioned their upcoming fall internship. I was in heavy competition for the internship and without USF I wouldn’t have gotten it!”


Fayne is also assisting with some of the charity efforts for the players such as the Marshawn Lynch Turkey Drive that will take place in Oakland in November and Justin Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy program. She plans to continue working with Octagon Football in hopes to work for the east coast office one day. We look forward to upcoming events, keep up the good work, Fayne!