Juneau Football Coach on Super Bowl Pregame Show | Rich Sjoroos Interview
- The small Alaskan town of Juneau is experiencing an unusual surge of attention as its high school football team, the Juneau-Douglas High School Crimson Bears, prepares to be...
- The story originated with an inquiry from NBC Sports approximately a month before a September game between Juneau-Douglas and the Dimond Lynx.
- The selection of Juneau-Douglas from over 15,000 eleven-man high school football programs nationwide came as a surprise to many in the community.
The small Alaskan town of Juneau is experiencing an unusual surge of attention as its high school football team, the Juneau-Douglas High School Crimson Bears, prepares to be featured in a pre-game segment during the broadcast of Super Bowl LX on . The segment, produced by NBC Sports, highlights the role of football in communities across the United States.
The story originated with an inquiry from NBC Sports approximately a month before a September game between Juneau-Douglas and the Dimond Lynx. According to Rich Sjoroos, the head football coach of Juneau-Douglas, who has held the position since , the network was seeking teams for a documentary-style presentation exploring the significance of football at the high school level. “The focal point was, ‘What does football mean to you and your community?’” Sjoroos explained.
The selection of Juneau-Douglas from over 15,000 eleven-man high school football programs nationwide came as a surprise to many in the community. “So to be that one that was chosen, that’s kind of like winning the lottery,” Sjoroos said. The documentary segment also features a nine-man program, a small college, a six-man team, and a girls’ flag-football team, showcasing the diverse landscape of American football.
An NBC Sports production team visited Juneau in to film the game against Dimond, capturing footage of the team and the surrounding community. The resulting segment, produced by Peter King, has already been viewed by the team, according to Sjoroos. He noted the segment showcases Juneau alongside four other high school programs across the country.
The broadcast is scheduled to air on KTUU Channel 2 in Alaska between and Alaska time on the Super Bowl pregame show. While the exact timing of the segment within the pregame coverage remains uncertain – as of Thursday, February 5th – the team is not planning a formal watch party due to the off-season and the involvement of players in other sports. Sjoroos indicated the team may view the segment together during a future team dinner.
Sjoroos emphasized the broader significance of NBC’s initiative, highlighting the network’s decision to showcase high school football programs on a national stage during the Super Bowl. He described it as “something he has never seen before,” and praised NBC’s vision in recognizing the diversity of football across different levels and communities. “From a whole countrywide perspective, it was just neat to see just the diversity in football all through different levels in different pockets of the country,” he said. “Not all football is big-time programs with tons of players and in large communities and things like that. I think it was kind of neat to show that there’s other layers to it.”
The attention comes at a time of broader cultural activity in Alaska. The Alaska Chinese Association is celebrating the 50th year of its Lunar New Year celebration, marking a 4,000-year-old tradition within the state. Fairbanks is undergoing revitalization efforts with expanded grant funding aimed at transforming downtown exteriors and reactivating vacant spaces. The Alaska Black Business Expo is also celebrating its 11th year, showcasing Black entrepreneurs. These events, alongside the national spotlight on Juneau’s football team, underscore a period of cultural and economic activity within the state.
The inclusion of a team from a relatively remote location like Juneau in a Super Bowl pregame broadcast speaks to a deliberate effort to broaden the narrative surrounding American football. While the Super Bowl itself remains a spectacle of professional athleticism and commercialism, the accompanying segment featuring the Crimson Bears offers a glimpse into the grassroots level of the sport, and the vital role it plays in smaller communities. The story highlights the enduring appeal of football beyond the major leagues, and its capacity to unite communities around a shared passion.
The segment is expected to resonate with Alaskans, offering a moment of pride and recognition for the state’s athletic achievements. It also provides a platform to showcase the unique character of Juneau and its commitment to high school sports. The broadcast is likely to generate increased interest in the Juneau-Douglas High School football program and potentially inspire future generations of players.