Auburn Game Face

Written by: Katie-Bay Hayford

Kevin Fuhrer’s job is so much more than just cleaning the dirty laundry. As the assistant equipment manager for Auburn University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, Fuhrer’s role is a crucial one for team success on the court.

“During the game, my job is to make sure I'm visible and around for any issues that may arise such as blown out shoes or uniform tears,” he said. “You can play hurt and you can play without fans, but you can’t play without uniforms or the ball. That's where I come in.”

The Mount Juliet, Tennessee, native is integral in supplying the apparel and uniforms that the team and staff wear, making sure everyone has what they need during practice and gameday.

“My job entails the supervision of the apparel and equipment as it relates to men's and women's basketball,” said Fuhrer. “I make sure the uniforms are ready for the games and laundry is ready for practice. We also oversee the Under Armor budget for our teams.”

As for the dirty laundry, there’s plenty of that to go around, too. Fuhrer estimates he washes on average 100 pounds of laundry per day when both basketball teams have activities going on.

When not on the court, Fuhrer can often be found in a backroom equipment office of Neville Arena managing oversized commercial grade washing machines and dryers and neatly hanging up a next round of jerseys on a clothes rack.

When practice is over and the Tigers are ready for tipoff, you’ll find Fuhrer within arms reach ready to assist should there be any uniform mishaps.

“Luckily, we have not had any real mishaps,” he said. “I always make sure we have a ‘blood’ jersey on the road and at home. The managers had to use it at Georgia due to Chris Moore's jersey ripping. I usually text the manager on the road before the game to make sure they have that jersey close for these types of situations.”

Fuhrer started working for Auburn Athletics in 2015 and previously oversaw equipment for Auburn baseball, volleyball and swimming. In addition to basketball, he oversees equipment for soccer, men’s and women’s tennis and track and field. Above them all, basketball remains Fuhrer’s favorite sport.

“The relationships you develop with the coaches and athletes is one of the most fun aspects of the job,” he said. “I just love the atmosphere of gameday and being a part of something bigger than yourself. I try to maintain a positive attitude as the guys will gravitate to your positive energy and hopefully pick them up some when they are down.”

Fuhrer keeps the positive attitude mindset when he works with 16 student managers, encouraging them to never be too big for little jobs and equipping them with skillsets for the real world.

“When the student workers help, they learn about inventorying and balancing multiple tasks in a day such as at a women's basketball game, but there's also a men's basketball practice that same day,” said Fuhrer. “They see the attention to detail you must have in equipment to make sure all the teams are properly taken care of and ready to hit the court.”

For Fuhrer, he always knew he wanted to be a part of the game of basketball, and in his role at Auburn he gets to live that dream out daily.

“Auburn basketball has been important to me since the time I got into Auburn, because basketball is my passion,” he said. “Now that I get to be a part of it on a daily basis, it's something I can never take for granted. I give all I have to both the men's and women's teams, as I am currently in my dream job.”