- Weber State University President Brad Mortensen performs high-energy dance at Wildcat football game with the school's spirit squad.
- The school president is a longtime "Dance Dad."
- Mortensen admits to gameday jitters prior to his gridiron performance.
Weber State University President Brad Mortensen admits to battling butterflies at Stewart Stadium on Saturday.
But his game day jitters had nothing to do with the outcome of the Wildcats football contest.
Between the first and second quarters of WSU’s game against Eastern Washington, Mortensen surprised the student body and fans by joining the Wildcat Spirit Squad dance team for a high-energy dance on the gridiron.
The school president’s dance debut was over in just 15 seconds — but fast-circulating social media videos are ensuring his performance will forever belong to Wildcat lore.
“It was a lot of fun,” Mortensen told the Deseret News. “It was fun for me to be with the team, to show them support and help draw some attention to the great work they are doing.”
WSU Spirit Squad coach Erica Williams Jordan gave a “thumbs-up” to the president’s spirited dance performance. “He nailed it,” she said. “It was so fun for him to be out there. … He did such a great job. He took it and ran with it.”
Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ Spirit Squad was thrilled to have a familiar guest performer.
“My team was super excited to be dancing with him,” said Williams Jordan. “We already love Brad and feel like he is such a good and amazing president.”
A ‘Dance Dad’ takes the Wildcat gridiron
Mortensen is no stranger to performance dance — but he’s typically been part of the audience while being a supportive “Dance Dad.” Both of his daughters were dancers — and one was a member of WSU’s dance squad.
The school president frequently visits practices for Wildcat sports teams to better connect with the student-athletes. So a few weeks ago, he stopped by the WSU’s spirit squad’s practice — and he came prepared.
Prior to the training, the spirit squad dance team sent Mortensen a video of a few dance steps to learn. “He came in and was such a positive guy,” remembered Williams Jordan.
Impressed with his rehearsal, the team invited their school president to join them on the field during the Eastern Washington game.
Mortensen spent the days prior to the game practicing and rehearsing with his daughter.
As the leader of a campus community of tens of thousands of students, faculty and staff, Mortensen is accustomed to being a public figure in front of a large audience. But dancing with a group of highly trained student-athletes presented a different level of anxiety for the academic leader.
So a bit of stage fright was to be expected.
“I was so nervous,” Mortensen said, laughing.
Typically on game days, Mortensen enjoys tailgating, mixing with students and Wildcat fans, and enjoying some stadium grub.
But on Saturday, he said, “I didn’t want to eat anything. … I was definitely feeling the pressure. I was worried I would get out there and freeze up or trip or something.
“But, it all worked out.”
After taking the field in black sweatshirts and purple joggers, the spirit squad danced for about a minute before they were joined by their special guest.
Donning sneakers and a track suit, Mortensen hit his well-rehearsed steps in almost perfect sync with his fellow dancers — twisting and turning before throwing up a “Wildcat” hand sign for the fans.
Smiling, he pumped his fist a few times and high-fived his dancemates.
Is an encore performance in the works?
Time will tell if Mortensen’s Wildcat dance was a “one-and-done” — or if more performances await.
“The team was so good to me and made me feel like it was a big deal — so I would definitely do it again if they ever had me back, but I don’t want to take anything away from them,” he said.
The spirit squad, added Williams Jordan, hope Mortensen’s Saturday guest appearance won’t be his last.
“We could definitely find another spot for him — so if he’s willing, we’d love to have him again.”