January 2, 2021
Dear Colleagues:
Our football team brought our University valuable national exposure and provided us all a great source of pride on Thursday when it won the Arizona Bowl against San Jose State. The excitement and national attention for our University and football team continues this week.
On October 20, 2020, our University had the privilege of hosting David Letterman, a Ball State alumnus, and Peyton Manning, the two-time Super Bowl champion and longtime Indianapolis Colts quarterback.
Mr. Letterman and Mr. Manning arrived early that morning to film an episode of “Peyton’s Places,” a football-themed documentary series hosted by Mr. Manning and produced by NFL Network in collaboration with ESPN. The two men spent time throwing a football near Frog Baby and with our football team at Schuemann Stadium.
The episode of “Peyton’s Places” featuring our beautiful campus will air on ESPN+ beginning January 3.
On January 15, in collaboration with ESPN, I will host a virtual watch party for our campus community. During the watch party, Director of Athletics Beth Goetz and Head Football Coach Mike Neu will join me.
I am grateful to Mr. Letterman for his continued support of our University and for his commitment to our students’ success, including our football team. The production certainly gave our student-athletes an experience they’ll never forget during an all-around unforgettable season. I am especially grateful that Mr. Letterman requested the episode of “Peyton’s Places” be filmed in Muncie on our campus. It is yet another example of his support for Ball State.
Additional details about how to join me on January 15 will be forthcoming on the University’s social media accounts. I look forward to you joining and all of us watching together.
