Driving for a cause
He doesn’t just have the game day shirt, but a truck and trailer that go with it as well.
Steve Wiley is just one of the men behind the scenes of the USU football team.
Known as an ETS, equipment transportation specialist, Wiley is the man driving the football equipment to away games, setting up headsets, mics and even the locker room.
Wiley said he has been the ultimate Aggie fan for as long as he can remember and has been transporting the football equipment since 1993.
He said he first began driving the gear when the equipment manager was in a bind and needed a truck to haul the equipment trailer to Las Cruces, N.M.
“They asked me, ‘We have this trailer and you have a large truck, do you think you could pull it?'” Wiley said. “And I did.”
Since his first pull to Las Cruces, Wiley said he recently purchased his fourth truck for the job: a dark blue GMC.
“I dedicated this truck to my wife who passed away over a year ago,” he said. “She was a classy lady so this had to be a classy truck.”
Wiley said the university purchases the fuel for the trips but the long days are paid for through Wiley’s time.
Wiley said he rolls out of Logan on a Thursday night before a game. However, he said he does not leave alone.
“I take my son-in-law Brian with me,” he said. “He is my right-hand. I couldn’t do this without him. It’s an all-night run and we have to be where ever the team plans to be before they land.”
On game day, Wiley said he is at the game four to five hours before and unloads the game equipment. He said he will take the time to go into the booths and set-up the headsets while his son-in-law will help below the booths and in the locker room.
Wiley said they work hard to make sure that when the players walk into the guest locker room they feel like they are walking into a locker room that feels like home.
“Their jerseys, helmets and even socks are out,” he said. “We set everything out for them.”
Wiley said it can take more than two hours to set up the locker room for the players. But he said that really isn’t a fair estimate.
“Before you even leave, there are equipment guys buffing helmets and checking equipment the day before which takes several hours,” he said. “There is a lot of things that go on before a game that people do not understand.”
When the game is over, Wiley said he got the job of handing out the after-game meal. Wiley said he enjoys it and has even started a little tradition to let the players know that they are just like his own children.
“I get a hug from each one of them,” Wiley said. “After every game, when I give them their meal and I take their bag, it’s nice for them to know that I am always there for them. I don’t even have to tell them not to cheat me but to give me a hug.”
Wiley said it has been rewarding to have parents approach him and tell him they think it is wonderful what he does for the players.
“I just tell them I am a lucky guy to be here with this program,” Wiley said.
According to Wiley, driving the equipment to games is like having a portable locker room for the players. He said driving the equipment saves nearly $8,000 to $10,000 because it is not weight that has to be flown in an airplane. He said by driving his own truck, it does not require a vehicle to be rented and allows extra equipment to be packed.
However, Wiley said not every trip works out perfect. He said every trip has an exciting adventure and he has had experiences from trucks breaking down to losing wallets.
“I haven’t had a trip where something hasn’t happened,” Wiley said. “Some little thing always happens. I can’t think of one time it hasn’t.”
No matter what happens however, Wiley said he doesn’t let that get him down.
“This is my way to give back,” Wiley said. “It’s my way to show appreciation to this school.”
-courtnie.packer@aggiemail.usu.edu
Steve Wiley, the equipment transportation specialist for the USU football team, talks about how he got into helping the football team. (Kristy Jordan)