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Gridiron Glory’s 25th season came to a close Friday, Nov. 22, and Hailey Hollinger finds it hard to believe that it’s over. Hollinger, a senior journalism news and information major/sports marketing minor from Canton, Ohio, is the third female host in the program’s history and was honored to be at the helm during this milestone season.

“It’s been truly amazing getting to pay homage to the last 25 seasons of Gridiron,” said Hollinger. “It’s been really, really cool to be a part of a program that has been so big for the community over the last 25 seasons. Seeing how much Gridiron means to the community is so huge.”

Hollinger says her favorite part of being host was getting to go out to different communities each week for the Fan of the Week segment.

“I have loved doing Fan of the Week,” said Hollinger. “I think the toughest part of being host is that you don’t really get to dedicate your time to any particular conference or team, and you don’t get out of studio as much. Fan of the Week gave me the opportunity to interact with community members at their games, which was great.”

Season 25 concluded with the selection of Gridiron Glory Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. It’s was a very special episode that Hollinger looked forward to being a part of.

“Coaches and players go out there and work their butts off,” said Hollinger. “So, it’s really cool to be able to give them that recognition. It shows that they care about us, and we care about them.”

As Hollinger ends her time with Gridrion, she knows she was a role model to many aspiring female sports broadcasters as host of the show. Hollinger believes there will be more female hosts going forward, but says the show is in good hands, and there are a lot of talented students, both male and female, to lead future seasons of Gridiron.

“WOUB is the kind of place where it doesn’t matter what gender you are as long as you are dedicated and your work ethic is strong,” said Hollinger. “If you put in the work to get there, you will. I’m very excited for the entire team.”

As Hollinger looks to her graduation in May, she plans to start applying for sports journalism jobs soon and hopes to take what she’s learned on Gridiron to the next level.

“I would love to end up in sports. Everybody’s dream job is with ESPN at some point. I plan to apply to as many places as I can.”

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