Nominees were recently announced for the 2015 College Sports Media Awards and Clemson has been nominated in the “Outstanding Special Feature” category for our “True Meaning of Military Appreciation” feature.
The awards are organized by Sports Video Group (SVG) and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced at the College Sports Media Awards ceremony on May 28 at the SVG College Sports Summit at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta.
Representing a variety of college athletic and academic departments, as well as professional networks, production companies, and student productions, the finalists are spread across four divisions in a total of 20 categories.
The “True Meaning of Military Appreciation” video was directed/produced/filmed by Nik Conklin, narrated by Col. Sandy Edge, filmed by Danny Seyffer and written/produced by Jonathan Gantt. It was created as a special video board feature for Clemson Football’s “Military Appreciation Day” game against Georgia State in November 2014.
The script originally planned for Clemson wide receiver and army veteran Daniel Rodriguez to be the focus but scheduling conflicts led to Col. Edge moving from a secondary to primary role in the short film. Edge’s narration from the video was taken from audio interviews conducted in his office on Clemson’s campus and the entirety of the film was shot in a two-hour window just four days before the game. The final draft wasn’t finished until the morning of the game but the video played to an emotional reaction at halftime as part of the “Military Appreciation Day” ceremonies.
Below is a full transcript of the audio from Col. Edge:
“The beauty and the true meaning of Military Appreciation Day…it’s a time for us to come together as 80,000 strong as Clemson Tigers.
To sit back take a deep breath and reflect. Chances are, many people in that 80,000 had someone who served…
And to truly take time for just a moment to think how blessed we are and the sacrifices that so many have given so that we can serve in any way we choose possible. What a great opportunity.
As I walk across this campus and certainly the Scroll of Honor and then Memorial Park around the scroll of honor is something that I would consider truly sacred ground.
Four hundred and eighty-five men who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country to defend freedom to give everyone opportunities to enjoy life.
Men who were football players, wrestlers, brothers, sons and husbands. …who answered their nation’s call for something they truly believed in.
There is something in these hills that sends a chill up and down your spine when you see that kind of commitment and that kind of promise come to pass.
It felt like home to me. Clemson spoke to me. Next to my mother and father and my family in Wompee, S.C., I knew Clemson would always be there for me.
No greater love as anyone than to stand in harm’s way and lay down their life. But to take advantage of the blessings and the opportunities we have to make the world a better place.
I think that’s all any veteran or anyone who has stood in harm’s way would ask.
Make it a better place.”
April 10, 2024
