As the New England Patriots settle into Stanford Stadium for Super Bowl week, the scene in Palo Alto is far more than just another practice session-it’s the culmination of years of behind-the-scenes planning, logistics, and coordination. While fans are counting down to kickoff on Sunday, Stanford has quietly become a key player in the NFL’s biggest week, offering its campus as a high-level preparation hub for the AFC champions.
This isn’t a one-off. Stanford’s athletic department has been laying the groundwork for this moment since 2023, when it became clear that Levi’s Stadium would once again host the Super Bowl.
From that point on, it was all systems go. The school’s operations and events staff, grounds crew, strength and conditioning coaches, and public safety teams have been working in sync to ensure that whichever AFC team landed in the Bay Area would have a world-class environment to get ready.
That team turned out to be the Patriots, who are now gearing up to face the Seattle Seahawks with the Lombardi Trophy on the line.
“It’s not just another football game,” said Keith Juricich, Stanford’s Associate Athletics Director of Operations and Events. “The amount of detail and planning that goes into this week is something that I think most don’t get access to. And we’re very fortunate and lucky that we at least get to see it.”
Juricich isn’t exaggerating. The lead-up to the Super Bowl is a logistical ballet, and Stanford is playing a key supporting role.
The NFL has been conducting walkthroughs on campus since late summer, making sure the practice field meets pro-level standards. And when the Patriots roll in, they don’t come alone-they’re flanked by California Highway Patrol, tactical vehicles, SWAT units, and security details that sweep the area with K9 units before every arrival.
Once the team gets to work, the area is locked down tight.
This isn’t Stanford’s first time in the Super Bowl spotlight. A decade ago, the Denver Broncos used the same facilities to prepare for Super Bowl 50. That experience, according to Juricich, helped build a level of trust that’s still paying dividends today.
“You could tell that hosting 10 years ago just eases everybody’s mind,” he said. “Everybody knows Stanford’s been there, done that.
They trust us and we’ve built that relationship and that rapport. It’s just nice to have that type of reputation.”
That reputation extends beyond the field. Stanford’s student-athletes, who continue their own training during Super Bowl week, have found themselves sharing space with one of the NFL’s most successful franchises-and the interaction has been surprisingly smooth.
“The Patriots didn’t care about exclusivity,” Juricich noted. “They were fine with our athletes training at the same time, which was really cool. The vibe was great.”
Kate Bellissimo, a fifth-year member of Stanford’s lacrosse team, echoed that sentiment. “They haven’t really disrupted our schedules,” she said.
“They were supposed to practice at the same time as the rowing team and they basically took the back half of the weight room. I think we were all kind of surprised that they didn’t just take the main room.”
For Bellissimo and her fellow athletes, it’s been a rare chance to observe how a top-tier NFL team operates from up close. “They definitely have a routine for everything and everything’s very planned out.
It’s surgical in a sense,” she said. “It’s also kind of fun to see that they do a lot of things similarly.
Their away trips and how we operate some of our away trips are actually kind of similar. The biggest difference I would say is that the mass of staff that they travel with is insane.”
The buzz hasn’t been limited to the athletic department. Word of the Patriots’ presence has spread across campus, sparking excitement among students-even if they can’t get a front-row seat.
“I guess I understand that we’re not allowed to go see them,” said freshman Jed Kassoy. “Because then there would probably be people from all across the nation also coming to see them.”
Still, the proximity to the NFL’s biggest stage is something Kassoy won’t soon forget. “Just the other day, I was playing spikeball at Wilbur Field and some people drove by in a truck with an NBC Super Bowl LX logo. We were giving them directions and actually kind of got them lost, but it’s just very cool to be in such close proximity to the Super Bowl and these professional athletes.”
This week also adds another chapter to Stanford’s long-standing connection to the NFL. The university hosted Super Bowl XIX in 1985, and its football program has produced two Super Bowl MVPs in Jim Plunkett and John Elway. Current Patriots tight end Austin Hooper also played his college ball on the Farm.
Sunday’s game carries plenty of history, too. It’s a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, one of the most dramatic finishes in league history, when the Patriots sealed a win with a goal-line interception against the Seahawks. While New England prepares at Stanford, Seattle is holding its practices at San Jose State.
For Stanford, this isn’t about the limelight-it’s about playing a small but meaningful role in a much larger moment.
“We’re just going to let them do their thing because they have something that is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Juricich said.
And for everyone on campus-athletes, students, and staff alike-it’s a chance to witness how championship-level preparation takes shape, just a few steps from their daily routines.