Media Contact: Cherie Yurco; [email protected]
For immediate release — Sept. 11, 2023
(DALLAS) — Interest in esports competition has skyrocketed at Dallas College since its program launched in Fall 2021 with only three coaches and 30 students competing in four titles. Today, the program is led by six coaches and boasts over 150 students competing in more than 11 titles.
All seven campuses of Dallas College joined the national competition in Spring 2022 through the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE). Established in 2019, the NJCAAE is the premier national esports association exclusively for two-year colleges. Currently, 238 teams from community colleges across the United States participate.
Similar to traditional college sports, esports offers valuable educational opportunities. Participants develop essential skills like teamwork, communication, time management, organization, and problem-solving. They also gain technical expertise in strategy, video and IT technology, broadcasting, shoutcasting, tournament setup, marketing, and business.
“I watch students go from feeling overwhelmed and nervous to thriving,” said Sky McCort, a coach at Dallas College Richland Campus and a part of the esports program since its inception. “Some students come to Dallas College unsure of their academic path. The fact that they can engage in something they are passionate about is significant.” Esports contribute to increased student engagement, retention, and completion rates.
“I watch students go from feeling overwhelmed and nervous to thriving,” said Sky McCort, a coach at Dallas College Richland Campus.
“Esports is more than just sitting in front of a computer playing video games,” said Taison Proctor, a Criminology major at the Richland Campus who competes in Overwatch — a first-person shooter video game where teams vie for various objectives. Proctor joined the esports program at Dallas College as soon as he discovered it. He emphasized how he has developed skills in communication, team-building, and formed meaningful relationships.
When Proctor graduates in the coming Spring, he plans to transfer to the University of Texas at Dallas to major in Criminology. He intends to try out for their esports team and participate in their content creator program. Through esports, he and other students have the opportunity to compete for transfer scholarships.
Esports tryouts were held last month at all seven Dallas College campuses. Eligible competitors are students enrolled in at least 12 credit hours at any Dallas College campus and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. Students at any gaming level can participate through intramural play, but they must try out to join a team.
An estimated 200 students will take part in esports this year. “We welcome everyone,” said McCort. “We keep them engaged, provide training, and help them reach a competition level. Students can get involved in clubs, meet other students, and play games together.”
Dallas College esports have already achieved athletic success:
- 2022 NJCAA Fall NBA 2K Open Division Champion (Aahil Ajani, Cedar Valley)
- 2023 NJCAA FIFA Spring Open Division Champion (Zaid Gutierrez, Mountain View)
- 2023 Spring: Dallas College coach McCort awarded a NJCAA certificate for outstanding efforts to improve NJCAAE
“Dallas College Athletic Director Sadiaa Jones and I are proud to offer nontraditional athletes another avenue for student success and engagement. We believe that esports will continue to grow in popularity among our students,” said Krasi Kolarov, Director of esports at Dallas College.
Titles offered at each campus are determined based on student interest. This year’s titles by campus include:
- Brookhaven (coach Grant Brady): League of Legends, Smash Bros.
- Cedar Valley (coach Marcus Woodard): FIFA, Madden, NBA 2K
- Eastfield (coach Jeremy Stout): League of Legends, Overwatch, Tekken, Valorant
- El Centro (coach Sky McCort): League of Legends, Smash Bros., Tekken, Valorant
- Mountain View (coach Leoh Padilla): Rocket League, Smash Bros.
- North Lake (coach Brody Rush): Call of Duty, FIFA, Rainbow Six Siege
- Richland (coach Sky McCort): League of Legends, Overwatch, Smash Bros., Valorant
Esports follows a nine-week regular season, followed by a few weeks of playoffs each Spring and Fall semester. Dallas College students can participate at any campus and in multiple titles. Recruitment occurs year-round, but tryouts are held twice a year. To learn more about esports, students can visit: DallasCollege.edu/Esports.
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