Springfield, Ohio – Wittenberg University junior wide receiver Desi Kirkman (Lima, Ohio/Central Catholic) flipped onto more than a few television screens and computer monitors following his acrobatic entrance into the end zone against the University of Chicago on Oct. 13. As 2012 comes to a close, sports fans everywhere will again be treated to Kirkman's heroics.

ESPN, which ranked Kirkman's flip No. 2 on the Oct. 13 "Top 10 Plays" feature on its popular SportsCenter program, has tentatively selected the play as one of the clips it will show during the College GameDay program that will air prior to the Rose Bowl on Tuesday, Jan. 1. The play is scheduled to appear during an "Images of the Year" segment that will feature a collection of top plays from the 2012 college football season.

Students involved in Wittenberg's Integrated Media Corps (IMC), an internship program that offers students the chance to hone a variety of skills in communications, public relations and multimedia, were responsible for capturing footage of the play and uploading it to YouTube even as the Oct. 13 game was being played. Under the guidance of Ryan Maurer, director of news services and sports information, and John Strawn, associate director of sports information, the IMC students then started a social media campaign that included posts to Twitter and Facebook that caught the attention of SportsCenter producers.

The play's inclusion on SportsCenter and another popular ESPN program, SportsNation, combined with the social media campaign to make the Kirkman flip a very popular choice on YouTube. Through Dec. 29, the video had been viewed more than 16,000 times.

Wittenberg's football team won a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title for the 11th time since joining the league in 1989 and the third time in four years with a 6-1 league record in 2012. The Tigers finished 10-2 overall after reaching the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament as Kirkman ranked second on the team in receptions with 46. The highlight play was one of six touchdown receptions on the 2012 season, in addition to Kirkman's fine work as the team's primary punt returner.

Written by: Ryan Maurer

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