Waking up at 5:30 a.m. every morning to lift weights and then heading off to work for an 8 a.m.-to-5 p.m. internship sounds like one long day.
Brian Davies, a defensive tackle for the MSU football team and intern for Barton Malow/Clark, L.L.C., did this all summer long.
The civil engineering senior worked for the company that is developing the Spartan Stadium Expansion, while he also prepared for the 2004 football season.
"He's done a great job in preparing himself for life after football," said Steve Stripling, the MSU defensive line coach. He's got some invaluable experience and being a football player has possibly opened some doors for him."
Stripling added the stadium expansion shows the dedication of MSU to its athletics.
"We are really excited about (the expansion)," Stripling said. For us as coaches, it's a recruiting tool for our commitment to football."
The $61 million project will add 24 luxury suites, which are private boxes that hold 12 to 24 seats. It will also add 862 club seats, new media facilities, office space for alumni relations and university development, and new recruiting facilities for MSU athletics.
Davies' responsibilities resemble those close to what an engineer project manager would face.
"He handles a lot of communication between MSU and Barton Malow/Clark," Project Engineer Matthew Czarnecki said. He has helped out with preparation for fan traffic this upcoming season, it's the day to day tasks that a project engineer would do."
Davies said his work ethic has blended from the football field into the work place.
"(Training) teaches you to persevere," Davies said. And if you work hard, you earn every bit of what you get."
Greg Ianni, associate director of MSU Athletics, said people such as Davies don't get to the level of athletics without dedication.
"At the level he's at (in football), you get there because you are a hard worker," Ianni said. You can't play at MSU unless you work hard, and he seems to carry that to his work at the stadium."
The construction is planned to be finished before the 2005 football season. Davies said some games were purposely scheduled two-away and two-home, so construction could continue during the season.
"We will work around (the games)," Ianni said. We've delayed work inside the stadium until after the season."
This season, Coach Stripling hopes to see more of Davies on the field.
"It will be a special year for Brian," Stripling said. He's made a big sacrifice by working at the stadium."
