When you come to watch a Furman football game, there are some things that fans expect. It is tradition to see the vivid royal purple uniforms and white helmets of student-athletes as they make their way down the Champions Walk to Paladin Stadium.

The aura of excitement and pride you feel when watching a game is expected. However, none of this would be possible if it were not for Daniel Assey.

The Director of Football Equipment and Facilities, Assey has held this position at Furman since 2014. He wears many hats and is the mastermind behind many of the behind-the-scenes duties within the football program.

Assey has always been a big fan of sports and has been working in this type of position since high school.

“I played football in high school, but I sort of lost the touch to play early on,” Assey said. “I still wanted to be involved with the team, so I became a student manager of equipment.”

He went on to college at University of South Carolina Upstate, and became very involved as a manager with the baseball program. Assey credits his work with the baseball team for preparing him for his current role as Director of Football Equipment and Facilities.

“Helping out with team travel, setting up meals on the road and setting up practice really got me interested in the possibilities of this type of work,” Assey said.

Right out of USC Upstate, Assey worked at Wofford in a part-time athletic facilities and equipment internship. He then worked at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for a year in a full-time job as an equipment manager.

After his stint at UTC, Assey began working at Furman. He has been in the same role for the past four years.

On a typical game day, just as fans are starting to set up their grills, Assey and his student equipment managers are making sure that everything for the 140 people involved with program is ready.

Assey and his diligent staff of student managers work throughout the game and stay late doing laundry for the entire team after each game and practice.

Assey’s hardwork and leadership he does for not just the football program, but the university, is why he is this week’s Influential Paladin.