SUPER BOWL GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Mike Steavpack, Fox Box Operator, Jacksonville
By David Stires

(FORTUNE Magazine) – I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE INFORMATION THAT appears in the Fox Box at the top of the screen during the Super Bowl. The graphics truck is parked in the TV compound outside the stadium--not a very glamorous spot. Growing up, I was a lackluster athlete. But I've always been interested in sports and in TV. I've been with Fox since 1996. It's chaos during the game, but it's controlled chaos. I have a headset that links me to a director, a producer, and our broadcast team. Primarily I'm listening to the stats crew that gives the down and distance because that's the most important thing. You have to have a willing ear because you're listening to six or seven sources at one time. I type the information on a keyboard that's hooked up to a computer that controls the Fox Box. The football season is six months long; then I begin to work NASCAR the weekend after the Super Bowl, and that goes through the end of June. Then I fill in when needed on Fox baseball. The one thing I'll never forget is the 1997 Super Bowl when my home team, the Green Bay Packers, won. Near the end of the game they let me loose, and I got to go on the field for the final gun. The place went crazy. -- Interview by David Stires