Andrew Lombardi plays an important role with Missouri football, working as an equipment manager
Working a part-time job as a college student is nothing unusual, but Andrew Lombardi’s job looks a little different.
On a typical day, the University of Missouri senior clocks in at 9 a.m. and works until 7 p.m. These hours may seem grueling, but it’s what Lombardi’s role as a student equipment manager demands.
Football has always been an integral part of Lombardi’s life. He grew up both watching and playing the sport. In his home town of Roeland Park, Kan., Lombardi played defensive end at Bishop Miege High School.
While he admitted that he was not the most skilled athlete, this did not stop him. His love for the game led him to play for all four years of high school.
Upon entering Missouri, Lombardi turned in his cleats. However, he still has a great appreciation for the sport. He identifies as a New England Patriots fan and, of course, a Missouri Tigers fan.
The Kansas native supported the Tigers long before he enrolled at MU in 2021. His household was split between rooting for the Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks. Some of Lombardi’s relatives attended the University of Kansas, creating an in-family rivalry. However, he always found himself cheering for the Tigers.
This passion for Missouri football manifested itself when Lombardi earned his spot as an equipment manager. Lombardi’s passion can be traced back to his high school coach Jon Holmes.
“I had a very good coach. He was very connected to the players, almost like a second father,” Lombardi said. “I liked football, and then I loved football because of him.”
Holmes encouraged Lombardi to stay involved with football in college. Football served as a place of comfort, and he wasn’t ready to let go of that experience.
After a conversation with his dad, Lombardi was put in contact with Mike Kurowski, Missouri’s Director of Athletic Equipment Operations.
Lombardi secured his position by making a positive impression on Kurowski.
“His resume was really good,” Kurowski said. “He knew the games and he just seemed like a trustworthy and hardworking kid.”
Lombardi is one of 17 students that serves as an equipment manager for the 2024 season. These individuals work seven days a week when football is in season, completing a variety of different tasks.
These tasks include setting up practices and drills, restocking toiletries in the locker room, doing the players’ laundry, making delivery runs to the coaching staff, decaling helmets and more.
An average day for Lombardi and his fellow student equipment managers consists of at least six hours of work.
Working as an equipment manager is a big time commitment, forcing Lombardi and his coworkers to make sacrifices. Since he joined the athletics team as a freshman, Lombardi has never experienced a Missouri game in the student section.
“I have never attended a Missouri football game outside of the sideline,” Lombardi said. “Socially, it is a drawback, especially when you have friends who aren’t involved in athletics. I have a handful of friends who [are] out there [at] the game and there are times where I wish I was with them.”
Keeping up with academics can also be a challenge, especially on weeks when the Tigers have an away game. The equipment managers travel with the team to every game, which means missing several days of class.
Lombardi revealed that this can have adverse effects on his academic performance. He said it can be difficult to find a work-school balance, especially when the Tigers are in season and there’s a lot of work to be done both in the classroom and on the field.
Another downside of the role involves how equipment managers can be perceived by the public. It’s a common misconception that it is an easy job that requires no training.
“I think a lot of people view us as just people that wash clothes for a living,” Kurowski said. “Some of my colleagues in this profession call us professional costume designers because basically once we get the players dressed on game day, we just hope that everything goes well on our end. But there is more to it.”
Despite being an unglamorous job at times, serving as an equipment manager has its perks. While working takes Lombardi away from one group of friends, it also provides him with another: his coworkers.
“We make the joke [that] we see each other more than we see our families,” Lombardi said. “So we’re a pretty tight-knit group. We can obviously get on each other’s nerves a little bit, but at the end of the day we’re kind of our own little team within the team.”
Lombardi values his role not only because of his newfound family, but also because of the professional opportunities it provides. Some student managers at Missouri go on to secure internships. Opportunities like these are all the more valuable for Lombardi, as he will be graduating college in the fall of 2025.
Currently, Lombardi is speaking with his bosses about trying to obtain an internship for this summer. His hopes are to work as an equipment manager for a professional football team.
Lombardi works hard every day at Missouri to prepare for his future.
“[Andrew] is a phenomenal kid, one I can count on daily to do what we ask,” Kurowski said. “I’m just very fortunate that I’ve been able to have him here this long and hopefully I can get him somewhere either in the NFL as an intern or somebody’s graduate assistant within the next couple years.”
With Lombardi’s graduation date nearing, his time as a student equipment manager at Missouri is coming to an end. He will have to depart from the Tigers soon, but for now, he’s savoring every minute.
“We’re getting an experience that not a lot of other people are going to get,” Lombardi said. “I really just enjoy what I do.”
Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Copyedited by Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com