Submitted photo Former Fort Dodger Mike Magnusson holds the national championship trophy after Kansas University captured the title.

KANSAS CITY — Mike Magnusson matches his grandfather, the late Floyd Magnusson, in a very special way earlier this month.

Magnusson, a former Fort Dodge resident who now works for the Jayhawk Sports Properties as the Senior Manager of Business Development, attended his third national championship game while working for the University of Kansas.

The Jayhawks would finish the quest, defeating North Carolina in New Orleans.

And Mike was right there to take it all in, just like Floyd was as an official during a 16-year NCAA Div. I career.

“In a way, I’m keeping up the Magnusson family Final Four tradition,” Mike said. “The Final Four is an incredible mix of excitement and stress. As an employee, we have to plan for every scenario and attend a full schedule of pre-game events.

“As fans, you can’t ignore the enormity of the Final Four and how lucky we are to have a team playing in these games.”

Magnusson was born and raised in Fort Dodge before leaving during his freshman year at Fort Dodge Senior High. Hs parents, Mike and Jo Magnusson, were both FDSH graduates, and his grandparents — Floyd and Dee Magnusson, as well as Dr. Earl and Irene Berge — were long-time local residents.

“I enjoyed playing in all the various sports leagues my parents enrolled me in through the YMCA, Fort Dodge Recreation and Fort Dodge Country Club,” Magnusson said of his time in Fort Dodge. “Dodger games were always the highlight of the week growing up. It was great to hop on a bike and get about anywhere in town.”

Magnusson would receive both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sports management from Kansas. He started his post-college career with the Kansas Athletics Williams Education Fund as a student assistant before being promoted to Marketing Coordinator and later Assistant Director.

A move to the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) followed where Magnusson held the title of Assistant Athletics Director of Development and Corporate Sponsorships.

He would join the Jayhawk Sports Properties in 2018 in his current role

“We build customized marketing programs for corporate clients that deliver targeted messages to Kansas Jayhawk fans,” Magnusson said. “These corporate sponsorships include, but are not limited to, signage, broadcast advertisements, digital advertising and unique client experiences. In addition, we manage the delivery of partnership assets and provide gameday access to hospitality.”

Jayhawk Sports Properties are the local LEARFIELD office that manages the multi-media rights on behalf of Kansas Athletics. LEARFIELD represents over 200 athletic departments, including both the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.