University of Delaware Athletics
BLUE HEN SPOTLIGHT: Former UD Lacrosse Standout Evan Washburn to Cover Super Bowl for CBS TV
2/4/2016 3:39:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Written by Erin Dunne, Athletics Media Relations Student Intern
For most student-athletes, their time on the athletic field ends when they hang up their jersey for the last time at the close of their college career. The hours of practice and sweat devoted to their respective sport culminates in a final game.
Most then continue on to their respective career field after graduation.
For Evan Washburn, he chose to never leave the field.
Washburn, a standout player on the men's lacrosse team during his time at the University Delaware in 2004-08, continued on to the world of sports journalism, where he has quickly risen to success.
In his career, Washburn has covered lacrosse, college basketball, and football, earning him nationwide respect as a professional reporter.
Washburn's rising success has led to his selection as a sideline reporter for CBS TV in this weekend's Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
For this assignment, Washburn will be the sideline reporter in charge of all aspects of covering the NFC champion Carolina Panthers. He has spent these days leading up to the game in intensive meetings with coaches and athletes,researching the team to ensure that he knows all the possible angles for stories as the game plays out.
Washburn notes that once he gets onto the field, he plans to treat the game as just another game. He believes that will help him maintain his confidence and ensure that his coverage goes well.
“It's a huge game, but once the game starts, it's a normal game,” Washburn said. “We'll go about it as we do every day, like it's a normal Sunday game.”
For the University of Delaware, which has placed a number of athletes on the Super Bowl turf throughout recent years, Washburn will stand as the only representative from the Blue Hens this season.
During his time in a Blue Hens uniform, Washburn was a four-year letter winner, earned first team All-Colonial Athletic Associatioan honors and won the UD Sportsmanship Award in 2008. A standout defender, he led Delaware to a berth in the NCAA Final Four during the 2007 season.
Washburn uses what he learned on the field as captain and a skilled defenseman at Delaware to connect with the athletes and coaches he interviews each week on the NFL sidelines.
“You understand athletes at any level, what they're going through, how they're handling things,” 
commented Washburn. “There's a confidence that I gained from playing lacrosse at that level, going through those things mentally and physically. I know what they're going through.”
“I think he's very comfortable in what he's doing, I don't think there's any difference between him talking to you or me as opposed to him talking to (New England Patriots All-Pro quarterback) Tom Brady,” Shillinglaw remarked. “I saw a lot of that as he played for us at Delaware, having that natural self-confidence and a leadership quality. He's a pretty remarkable individual.”
Not only this, but Washburn serves as an example to current players of how hard work and dedication can pay off.
“It helps these guys realize that Delaware can provide opportunities for them. It helps them realize these guys were Delaware lacrosse guys, so they can be successful as well,” Shillinglaw said. “It 
gives them an awareness that they can do it, with hard work.”
While football games can be unpredictable, with unexpected upsets or career-ending injuries, Washburn uses the skills he learned from lacrosse to handle each situation with confidence and respect to the players.
“The challenge is dealing with the unexpected on the sidelines,” expressed Washburn. “You can prepare all you want, but when certain things that happen, you have to know it happened and have the knowledge to deal with it.”
Even if the result is a loss, Washburn must find a way to tell the team's story in a respectful and fair way.
“It's part of our job to tell the story, beginning to end, with the whole production team,” Washburn stated. “I have to put a bow on the season.”
For Washburn, he will be unraveling the Panthers story in front of approximately 120 million viewers on CBS as the Super Bowl game plays out Sunday evening.
But his game plan is simple. He will approach the situation with the confidence he gained from being a part of the University of Delaware's men's lacrosse program.
Photos Courtesy CBS Sports
