From Blue Hen to the big game

Many NFL players, coaches and staffers spend their entire careers chasing the Super Bowl. Some never get there.

University of Delaware College of Health Sciences alumna Jennifer Witt was lucky enough to reach the big game in her first year as a seasonal athletic training intern with the Seattle Seahawks.

"It was such a surreal ending to a year that was insane," she said.

With tears streaming down her face, Witt ran over to celebrate with her family, who had flown in from New Jersey, knowing they'd never get better seats.

"I couldn't even speak," she recalled. "It was one of the biggest moments of my life."

Witt completed a summer internship with the Seahawks while earning her master's in athletic training at UD. Impressed, the team hired her full-time before she graduated in 2025.

"UD taught me to treat every opportunity like an interview, and that internship was a six-week-long interview," she said.

Before the game, Witt was part of the advance team, setting up a player's lounge and recovery room at the hotel, complete with hyperbaric chambers, red light beds, and hot and cold plunge tubs.

"Our goal was to bring home to San Jose for the guys, making it a seamless transition," Witt said.

During the Super Bowl, Witt worked on the sidelines, keeping players hydrated and getting them back on the field quickly.

She also had a memorable task: With six minutes left, she mixed the yellow Gatorade that would drench Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald after their victory over the New England Patriots.

"They got him really good," she laughed.

The celebrations continued back home in Seattle with a championship parade.

"Everyone recognizable had already passed, but fans were still cheering for us even though they had no idea who we were," she said. "That was the second coolest moment of my life."

The road to the pros

Witt was inspired to become an athletic trainer (AT) after tearing her ACL in high school. A high jumper and javelin thrower, she discovered the value of acute care and the science behind injuries and recovery.

She earned her bachelor's in kinesiology from the University of Kentucky (UK), where she worked with UK Athletics as a student athletic trainer.

"I fell in love with athletic training and the relationships you build with patients," she said.