4 minute read
The Experience of a Lifetime
The Experience of a Lifetime
Matt Espinosa, ’09, ’15, grew up in a family of Raiders fans. “But I grew up as a 49ers fan,” Espinosa said. “My aunt was a big Joe Montana fan, and she made me into a 49ers fan. The rest of my family — my brother, father, and grandfather — were all Raiders fans.”
So when Espinosa had the opportunity to attend a Raiders game at their new stadium in Las Vegas, he jumped at the chance. The Raiders’ first season in Vegas was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the games were closed to the general public. During week four of the season, the Raiders invited twenty health care professionals to the game to honor their service during the pandemic and have them light the Al Davis Memorial Torch.
Espinosa is a nurse practitioner with Intermountain Healthcare and specializes in Medicare Advantage. He works with a chronically sick population as their primary care provider and has a patient load of around 650 patients that are individually his. Espinosa credits his Mary education for the success he has seen in his young career. “I would absolutely say the education that I got from my alma mater is exactly why I am where I am in my young career as a primary care provider.”
Espinosa was also on the baseball team during his undergraduate studies and was an assistant coach as a graduate student. He said what he learned about teamwork and leadership as a student-athlete and coach at Mary has served him well in his career. “Being a team player is important in medicine. I couldn’t get anything done without the assistance of my medical assistants and my RN case manager. I take my leadership responsibilities as a primary care provider very seriously. My experience at Mary laid the foundation for me to become a leader in my career today.”
Espinosa’s wife, Jena, ’09, ’12, is also in health care as a physical therapist. Both saw their jobs change dramatically when the pandemic hit, as did all health care professionals and first responders. Attending the Raiders game was one way his employer thanked their hard-working staff.
“I got a phone call on Thursday from our chief medical officer. And she said that they wanted me to represent the company and Las Vegas first responders at the event lighting the Al Davis Memorial Torch,” Espinosa said. “There have not been fans in the stadium because of the pandemic, and we all drive by and see this beautiful facility, but no one’s really been inside. Getting to see it was absolutely amazing, just jaw-dropping. They did such a beautiful job with that facility. And it was so weird to see it so empty; you don’t understand how big the place is until you’re inside of it.”
Following the passing of Al Davis in 2011, the Raiders pay tribute to Davis by lighting the Al Davis Memorial Torch in his honor prior to each game. The torch is a tribute to Davis’ legacy as the Raiders’ long-time owner, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, AFL Coach of the Year, and AFL Commissioner. Since the tradition started, several Raiders alumni, celebrities, and fans have had the opportunity to light the torch. But since the new stadium opened, only Al Davis’ wife had been given the honor. Espinosa says he doesn’t know how he was the one chosen to press the button to light the torch. “They started lining us up and said the person in the middle is going to hit the button, and then they called my name and guided me to the middle spot. And I thought, ‘oh my gosh, I’m going to be the one who actually gets to do this.’
“I was extremely nervous, even though there was no one in the building. As soon as I was standing there with the button in my hand, my heart just started pumping,” Espinosa said. But the lighting went off without a hitch, and Espinosa says it is an experience he will never forget.
It was even more special for Espinosa due to his childhood memories of watching Raiders games with his grandfather. “I was fortunate enough to live a bicycle ride distance around the corner from my grandparents. Every Sunday, we watched Raiders games at their house, but my grandpa would always have a little TV for me to watch the 49ers game upstairs in his room so I could go check on the game,” Espinosa said. “Every Sunday, my brother and I would be at my grandpa’s house watching the Raiders game, which is what made it so special to be a part of lighting the torch. It brought back a lot of memories of spending time with him when I was a kid.”
The team is installing a plaque in the stadium signed by the health care workers to commemorate the special occasion. Espinosa says he plans to take his kids and family there to show it to them, and hopefully his children’s children someday. He says he will go find the plaque every time he returns to the stadium … but next time, he will likely be wearing his favorite 49ers jersey.
Espinosa igniting the Al Davis Memorial Torch before the Las Vegas Raiders’ second game in their new stadium.
