Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

With more than 250 student clubs and organizations, there is a place for almost everybody and every hobby at the University of Dayton. In the case of Will Martin ’22, he created a league of his own.

Martin loved playing the video game and nationwide esport Rocket League, where teams of four play each other in soccer matches by driving rocket-powered vehicles. He was good at it and wanted to join a team of Flyers, and knowing that the world of competitive collegiate gaming was growing — since 2016, esports varsity programs have grown from seven to 170 according to the National Association of Collegiate Esports — he thought he would find one.

When he didn’t, Martin launched UD Rocket League.

“People like to play soccer or football, and they go play with people. I wanted to play [video games] with people,” Martin said.

He found a teammate in fellow Flyer David Schaffer ’20. They kicked off the club in 2018. Since then, UD Rocket League has been the only UD esport team with varsity designation through the Center for Student Involvement.

Eight of the club’s 50 members are split into two varsity teams to compete in tournaments against other colleges and universities nationwide. Last spring, the teams traveled to an in-person tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and finished in seventh and eighth place out of 17 teams.

But that’s not the only reason students are logging on.

“People come into the club expecting to make friends and have a place to play, but they’re developing different passions flowing out of the club, too,” Martin said.

“People come into the club expecting to make friends and have a place to play, but they’re developing different passions flowing out of the club, too,” Martin said. “There are all of these avenues that people realize exist once they get here.”

Marissa Perkins, a junior majoring in communication, joined UD Rocket League to make new friends who also were interested in video games, but it was her performance with Flyer TV and Flyer Radio that helped her take off.

“I’m more comfortable behind the camera or at the computer editing, but I’m learning I have talents in casting and commentating, and this is giving me the opportunity to explore it,” Perkins said. “I want to spread my wings and try to see where I fit.”

With esports being relatively new on campus, the two alums have stayed involved — Martin as an assistant coach for one of the varsity teams and Schaffer as the team manager. Schaffer is also helping Perkins sharpen her esports broadcasting skills. But any alumni can help the program get to the next level.

The team is raising money through Flyer Funder, UD’s official crowdfunding platform, to move into a new space on campus, buy the technology and equipment necessary to hold meetings and practices in-person, and expand to include other games.

“My parents joked about paying for me to go to college just for me to play video games, but over time I’ve noticed them shift from seeing it as a pastime to a real passion of mine,” Schaffer said. “I hope other alumni will see how much it means to our students, too.

“I’ve seen how excited we all get for UD’s sports teams. Let's create another excuse to say ‘Go Flyers!’”

UD Rocket League wrapped up its Flyer Funder campaign with $923 in contributions, but you can support the team with a gift any time of year.