Texas State alumna Haleigh Blocker is the director of football operations at the university and is known for juggling various roles to keep the program running. Being only the second woman to hold the position, Blocker said it’s been a memorable experience, especially since she graduated from Texas State and has always wanted to work in sports. 
“It feels really good you know especially being at a school that I graduated from,” Blocker said. “I kind of sit back and I look at it when I graduated high school and went into college, and I knew I wanted to work in sports and then to be where I am now it’s just kind of surreal to me. It just shows that women can do it.” 
As director of football operations, Blocker wears various hats as she works to take the ease off the team and coaching staff by coordinating travel, food accommodations and media interviews. Working in college sports has been a long-term goal for Blocker ever since she first entered the world of college athletics her freshman year as an intern for Texas State’s program.
“I started helping with operations and kind of learned what that role was like and then that’s when I realized like ‘oh my gosh this is what I want to do,'” Blocker said. “So, it kind of took just trying everything until I kind of realized what there is to offer in college football.”
Blocker knew once she got to Texas State, college football was where her main interest was. As an intern, she assisted in various aspects from recruiting, operations, administration and anything else that could help her get her foot in the door. 
Before taking over in her current position, she held the role as the head coach’s assistant where she learned the ins and outs of college football. Blocker said it’s been rewarding serving as a guiding hand for first-year athletes and new members of the coaching staff as she seeks to help them experience San Marcos to the fullest.
She graduated from Texas State in May 2019 with a degree in exercise and sports science and comes from a family of Bobcats as her mother and sister both graduated from the university as well. She grew up heavily involved in sports and played basketball since she was five years old.
Working in a male-dominated industry has presented its challenges, but Blocker said she has not let that stop her from pursuing her career. She remains committed to staying optimistic and preventing society norms from deterring her from where she is now. 
To other women looking to pursue a career in sports, Blocker encourages them to stick to it and show what they have to offer. She said it’s important to not hold beliefs that women are not qualified to work in a male-dominated field as women are more than capable. 
“If you show what you offer nobody’s going to question that,” Blocker said. “I’ve always had the work ethic of ‘nobody’s going to stop me,’ you know, so I think if you just show your value, and you bring this to the table every day nobody’s going to question what you’re doing.”