Junior Communication major Desi Kirkman doesn’t only use his Communication skills in the classroom; he utilizes them on the football field, where he recently made a name for himself by scoring an incredible touchdown during a game against the University of Chicago, where the Tigers won 41-17.

During the Oct. 13 game, Kirkman avoided a defender by flipping over him and into the end zone to score a touchdown. A clip of the touchdown was recorded by Integrated Media Corps students and shared through the @WittAthletics Twitter feed, where it gained popularity. Tiger fans incorporated the hastag #SCTop10,

bringing attention to ESPN producers who included it in the popular sports show, SportsNation, and ranked it as number two in the nightly “Top 10 Plays” feature.  

“After the play I was thinking touch down,” said Kirman.  “It was the first time my little cousin had seen me play so I thought he would appreciate it. I had no idea the big would be such a hit at all.”

Kirkman’s touchdown exploded in the news and on the Internet virtually overnight, but he says a lot of what made the touchdown happen was Communication-related.

“I think communication plays a huge role on the field. There are 11 players on the field at a time and all have to work together as one piece to become a successful

team,” said Kirkman.

The Integrated Media Corps also worked hard to record the clip and incorporate it into social media. Students who edited the clip and uploaded it to YouTube include Graham Wolff (’13), Savannah Guyer (’13), Caity Valley (’13), and Megan Conkle (’14).

To view the clip, visit the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtK3eG61R18

By Shelly Gregory, 2013