Click here for more on the NAIA and its annual football championship game.
Renee Hultgren’s job takes her all across the country.
As the Championship Events Administrator for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, she often finds herself visiting cities hoping to become hosts of NAIA national events just long enough to see what’s on the bidding table.
Yet when Hultgren ended her official visit Friday afternoon, evaluating the bid by Shorter College to host the 2008-09 NAIA National Football Championship in Rome, one trait she left with was something that comes natural to Southerners — hospitality.
“I loved it,” Hultgren said about her visit, one in which officials from Shorter and the community showed what Rome has to host the title game. “People kept showing to me the hospitality they have and how others would be treated if they came here.
“You guys know what it is to host something,” she added.
Following a busy agenda on Thursday, visiting Barron Stadium where the game would be played and taking in a Rome Braves game, Hultgren stayed on the move Friday morning looking at other venues that are needed to help meet the needs of the four-day long championship week.
Topping the list was a visit to Darlington School, which would be used as a practice facility and meeting facility for the two teams involved in the game.
Shown what Darlington has to offer by the school’s athletic director, Jerry Sharp, Hultgren felt the fields and Huffman Center would give Rome high marks when the final decision is made by Sept. 1.
“I was very impressed with Darlington’s facility,” she said. “There are no limitations for practices and the conditions of the field were excellent.
“They have to be safe because the teams are gearing up for a national championship.”
“Coach Sharp’s knowledge hit home with her,” Shorter athletic director Bill Peterson said, noting that providing a sound practice facility is a key point in determining where the game is played.
“From what I understand,” Sharp said, “they’ve had to have one team practice in the morning and the other practice in the afternoon.
“Here, they can both be out there at the same time and not even see each other.”
Hultgren also toured The Forum and various hotels and restaurants before holding a final luncheon meeting hosted by Shorter president Harold Newman.
Rome was the first city bidding for the game Hultgren visited, with one and possibly two more trips scheduled. She declined to name what cities are also being considered.
Savannah, Tenn., which has hosted the title game since 1996, is also hoping to extend its string of holding the game, she said.
“Once the site visits are completed,” Hultgren said, “the site committee will sit down and look at all of the pros and cons.”
Until then, Shorter and Rome will have to wait and hope that the bar they raised will be hard to overcome.
“It’s going to be hard waiting, for all of us,” Peterson said. “I’m really pleased with how it went. There was total cooperation with everybody involved.”
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