Editor’s note: This message was emailed to all students, faculty and staff on Jan. 29. 2016. 

Dear campus community,

Super Bowl 50 in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara is just nine days away. San Jose State has many direct ties to this game and the activities throughout our region.  This message is intended as a guide to what to expect during Super Bowl Week.

SJSU and the Super Bowl

The National Football Conference champion Carolina Panthers will utilize SJSU’s South Campus facilities next week for practices and team activities. (These are all closed to the public.) We are proud to be a host site and the opportunity it affords us to showcase many of SJSU’s distinctions to a global audience.

For example, SJSU alumnus Bene Benwikere, ’13 Sociology, will return to San Jose with the Panthers next week despite a mid-season injury that prematurely ended his season. Bene, a starting cornerback before his injury, is an inspiration to current and future Spartans.

SJSU and the American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos also have legacy connections. The parents of Broncos general manager and executive vice-president and two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback John Elway are Spartans. Jack Elway, John’s dad, was our head football coach from 1979 to 1983. Janet Elway, John’s mom, was an administrative assistant in the industrial technology department.

Many on campus are working to celebrate these and other connections. In collaboration with the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business, the College of Applied Sciences and Arts’ School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, University Advancement sponsored SportsTech symposia in December and earlier this month, exploring the many ways technology has influenced professional sports.

University communications staff members and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics are working on several features, and are collaborating with regional and national media on other stories that we expect to see in the days leading up to the game. You may see media on or around campus.

You can follow all stories on SJSU web properties and social media platforms, including theSJSU Newsroom blog, Twitter @SJSU, Twitter @sjsuathletics, the SJSU Facebook page,SJSU Alumni Association Facebook page and SJSUSpartans on Instagram.

Facility enhancements 

In collaboration with and support from the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee and the San Jose Sports Authority, improvements have been made to some of SJSU’s practice facilities and locker rooms, including a new turf installation last week. These enhancements will benefit students, coaches and staff for years to come.

Impacts

SJSU athletics representatives and UPD officials have been closely collaborating with the NFL and law enforcement to ensure a safe environment for everyone. Following Super Bowl custom, the practice site will be closed to the public. Authorized personnel only will be permitted at South Campus during this time. While the stadium and athletic facilities will not be accessible, the Park and Ride lot will remain open to students, staff and faculty.

Next week, downtown San Jose will welcome many visitors attending public events and activities. Hotels and restaurants, parking facilities and some surface streets will be considerably busier than usual. Traffic mitigation measures have been carefully considered, and few street closures are expected. The San Jose Mercury News has created a Super Bowl Street Guide infographic that you may find helpful and you can stay updated by downloading the Nixle app (text SB 50 to 888777).

Other sites offering updates on activities and impacts in our area include:

City of San Jose

City of Santa Clara

Super Bowl 50

Following last December’s exciting win by our own Spartans in the inaugural AutoNation Cure Bowl, Super Bowl 50 is an exciting opportunity for San Jose State to showcase its legacy and future. Let’s take full advantage of it!

Sincerely,

Sue Martin