Scott Lantis, ’13

Written by Colleen McGinness

There’s no question that Hillsdale College 2013 graduate Scott Lantis bleeds Charger blue.

These days, however, the blue runs a little bit orange. Scott is pursuing a lifelong dream by working for the Denver Broncos Football Club, and he’s following that dream all the way to Super Bowl 50.

“Hillsdale College is the only institution that I love more than the Broncos. I’m definitely a Charger first.”

Shortly after graduating with a marketing/management major, Scott secured a marketing internship for Glazier Football Clinics in Colorado Springs. It wasn’t long before he stumbled upon a marketing internship with the Broncos. While it was only a temporary position and paid just $8 an hour, Scott decided to go for it.

“I figured, I’d do anything in the world to spend a season with my favorite football team,” Scott said.

He contacted the Broncos’ Director of Pro Personnel, Tom Heckert, a 1991 Hillsdale graduate, for a reference, and was selected as one of five interns from a pool of 800 candidates. Scott’s passion and enthusiasm set him apart. Two month later, he accepted a full-time position in the marketing department.

Scott is one of four staffers in the Broncos’ Marketing Department, and is in charge of fan promotions and special events. His role is collaborative, and includes coordinating player appearances, the Broncos’ 7K run to a pep rally in downtown Denver that drew 10,000 fans, and managing 16 interns who coordinate game-day activation and execution.

Of all Scott’s experiences so far, standing on the sidelines as the Broncos won the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots was the best.

“I was on the 50 yard line wearing my headset, and everyone was charging the field, confetti cans were going off everywhere, and I had to rally all the players together,” Scott said. “In that moment so many memories of my childhood came back as I stood there celebrating with my favorite football team.”

Scott’s memories include many with his father, 1986 Hillsdale graduate and former All American Charger wide receiver Jeff Lantis, whose own love of the Broncos sparked Scott’s. “There are many things I try to emulate about my father, and this is one of them.”

Scott and his family would attend Broncos games any time they played near Hillsdale, where Scott grew up. “My dad and I skipped our family Christmas and drove to see Tim Tebow (and the Broncos) play the Buffalo Bills,” Scott said. “And, the only uniform infraction I ever had (at Hillsdale Academy) was when I wore a Broncos beanie to school the day after they won the 1997 Super Bowl.”

Scott employs the skills he learned in Dr. Susan King’s marketing classes every day in the office and on the field, as he works to build brand strategy with different Broncos fan-affinity groups and markets.

“I would never guess the cool responsibilities and great opportunities I have here on a day-to-day basis,” Scott said. “It’s very cool to be trusted with growing and cultivating the brand in a very exciting time.”

During Scott’s time at Hillsdale, he was a starting third baseman on the Charger baseball team all four years and stayed an extra semester to spend one season as a wide receiver on the football team. He made the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) All-Academic Team three times and also served on the leadership team of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.

He puts his marketing degree to use every day, but it was Dr. Robert Blackstock’s “Readings in Power and Leadership” class that had the most impact, and helped Scott make connections between Hillsdale’s classical liberal arts core curriculum and the practical skills he learned in his major.

“I learned there was no such thing as business ethics—ethical behavior comes down to the question, ‘How ought we live?’ I spent the whole semester applying this question to what it means to be a man, a leader, a young professional, a friend—and what I learned still impacts me today.”

The paramount question of how to live, and what makes a good life, are the types of questions Hillsdale students tackle in the liberal arts curriculum with frequency. Hillsdale’s mission is to cultivate graduates who understand and pursue ideas higher than themselves—and who apply that pursuit to their lives in whatever path they choose.

“I didn’t want to market a product that wasn’t beneficial. I think the excitement and joy that fans experience because of our efforts is worthy of being promoted,” Scott said. “It’s by the grace of God that I’m here, and I’m grateful for this opportunity.”

Scott predicts another Broncos Super Bowl win—24 to 21 over the Carolina Panthers. Scott received one extra ticket for the Super Bowl, so naturally he is taking his father on Sunday. Once again, they’ll be together cheering on their second-favorite team—second only to the Hillsdale Chargers.