Megan Hildebrand
Staff Reporter
Have you ever been to a McDaniel sporting event and thought to yourself, “Wow this field is set up perfectly.” If not, you should.
There are many people on the McDaniel campus that have thankless jobs; one of them is Equipment Manager Ken Nunnelee.
Even though Nunnelee may not think of himself as an unsung hero, there are plenty of people who will tell you otherwise. Jamie Smith, athletic director at McDaniel, works closely with Nunnelee and feels that he, “helps our programs immensely, but doesn’t get public accolades for his efforts.”
Mary Grace Gonzalez, a junior and team manager for two McDaniel sports, believes that Nunnelee is an unsung hero because “his job requires a lot more work than people think. He [is] responsible for distributing uniforms; he also washes the athletes’ practice clothes each day.”
But that does not fully encompass what Nunnelee does for McDaniel’s student-athletes. Assistant Equipment Manager Tony Cichetti says, “[Nunnelee] tries to help athletes for life,” and that he wants to help all of the student-athletes in any way possible.
Junior football player Aaron Slaughter says that Nunnelee has given him advice that he will use for the rest of his life. Slaughter says Nunnelee has given him advice on academics, relationships, and finance. “We talk about everything down there [in the Equipment Room],” he said.
This is one of the reasons why Nunnelee says he loves his job. “I just want to help give advice to the athletes and help them through anything,” says Nunnelee.
Most people might think that the only time Nunnelee has to be at McDaniel is during the school year when the college’s athletes are here. That just isn’t the case. Nunnelee helps with the fields and equipment for the numerous camps that take place on the McDaniel campus during the summer. “It’s a twelve-month job,” says Nunnelee.
Nunnelee said the busiest time for him is during the fall when there are not only the five fall sports but also the pre-season practices and games for spring sports adding up to nine sports at once. With that many sports to be aware of Nunnelee must also be very careful about the fields. If he sets up a field and it does not meet NCAA regulations McDaniel must forfeit that game. In the 16 years Nunnelee has been at McDaniel College there has never been a forfeit for that reason, said Nunnelee.
The only time that Nunnelee feels pressure is when there is inclement weather and you have to get the fields ready for the game the next day. One example is when it rains the day before a football game; the field has to be ready for the 1 p.m. game. The field has to be completely finished before the two teams start warming up. Nunnelee says if it’s raining they just look for a window of time where it isn’t raining too hard because, “you have to get it done.”
Nunnelee grew up on a farm in Tyler, Texas, where he played both baseball and football in high school. After one year at Tyler Junior College in Texas Nunnelee decided to serve his country and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. While stationed in California Nunnelee met his wife and the two got married in 1970. In 1972 Nunnelee and his wife moved to Maryland to be with family while expecting their first child.
Since then Nunnelee has worked as a supervisor for Amtrak, and was in charge of the territory from Washington, DC to Wilmington, DE. After working at McDaniel College for the last 16 years Nunnelee finds this job the one he was meant to do.
“My job here is not your typical job. I get to help some of the students here, and my job is a calling,” says Nunnelee. In his other jobs Nunnelee felt that he was working above people and while he has about 14 students who technically work for him Nunnelee feels they work with him rather than under him.
Morgan Brooks, who works in the equipment room and plays for the McDaniel football team, does not think one word is sufficient to describe how helpful and caring Ken is but if he had to choose one word Brooks says, “I guess I would say friend.”
When he is not at McDaniel, Nunnelee likes to spend time with his family, but he says that his job really is his hobby.
“It fulfills my life; I get to be around kids and sports,” says Nunnelee.
Nunnelee believes in the Marine motto, “Semper Fidelis,” which means “always faithful” and staying faithful to yourself, your God and your country. With all the things he has lived through and experienced if he can just give a little back to the community he has done his job.