Softball Alumna Madruga Wins Emmy Award

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The sacrifices, grind, and dedication recently yielded one of the highest honors in Dominique Madruga’s life. 

The former UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball standout received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Trans- Media Sports Coverage for her work with the critically acclaimed “NFL 100 Greatest” and “All-Time Team” series. NFL 100 was the NFL's biggest celebration highlighting the entire history of the league by showcasing memorable moments, featuring outstanding players, and sharing classic games. 

Madruga, who is the Content Marketing Producer at the NFL Network in Los Angeles, and her team planned and executed clips for NFL 100 content that ended up generating over 300 million video views across numerous social platforms. They also distributed over 3,000 clips that aired via NFL Network, socially, and through broadcast partners. 

“Our goal for NFL 100 was not just to create a TV show but to really ‘take over’ all NFL owned & operated platforms (linear, digital, and social),” Madruga said. “My specific role in this project was to manage and lead a team for the NFL 100 initiative content distribution across all platforms for the NFL including social, digital, NFL network, International and broadcast partners including FOX, ESPN, NBC, and CBS. In doing so we created a well-oiled machine. Communication was key across all departments.” 

Madruga’s journey is inspiring. She embraced the grind to greatness, doing whatever was necessary to make her dreams a reality.

Madruga has been working for the NFL since the summer of her junior year at UNCG when she served as a community relations intern with the Carolina Panthers. After graduating from UNCG with a communications degree, she moved to Charlotte and was a production assistant from 2015-2017. Madruga was offered a position to work for NFL Films as a talent producer.

“Ever since that internship I knew this is where I wanted to be and that’s all I needed to know,” Madruga said. “I went back to UNCG to finish my senior year and would drive down to Charlotte and shadow whoever would let me shadow them. This was not just an easy routine, I didn’t have a car because I was from California so I would convince teammates, coaches, friends, etc. to let me borrow their car. Of course, I would fill up the gas.

“I would drive down to Charlotte and still head back to Greensboro to continue my softball and academics schedule which included 6 a.m. weights, class all day, practice, and games. But I knew this is what I wanted and anything in life you truly want to achieve you must put in the time. These are the years of my career I am forever grateful for. This was my foundation; my co-workers were my family and my mentors still to this day.”

Madruga’s work ethic, energy, and drive were noticed, which led to one of the toughest decisions of her life. 

“I was offered a full-time position at NFL Films and it was a dream come true,” Madruga said. “I decided to pass it up. I had to be close to my family as my grandparents were getting older. So, I took a chance and moved home back to San Diego. I had a few months where I was searching and it was the hardest time of my life from being an athlete and used to a regiment to working my way up at the Panthers going to a Super Bowl, turning down an offer, and coming home and not having a job.

“These are times in our life where your true character shines. I worked even harder, kept my faith and knew God had a plan for me, and never gave up and in 2018 I was offered a position at the NFL Network. I love my position and my team. I am beyond happy that I am back on the West Coast. My career still has a long way to go and I am still paving my path. But looking back I am proud of what I have accomplished and where I am today.” 

Madruga earned All-Southern Conference recognition following her junior year. She was a member of the UNCG Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the National Society of Leadership and Success. 

The lessons learned as a UNCG student-athletes have been critical to Madruga’s success. 

 “I still carry that mentality over to the workplace,” Madruga said. “Everything is not always going to work out. Sometimes you’re going to step up to the plate and strike out over and over again. It’s how you come back. It’s your mindset. In college, I mastered the mental part of the game which is the hardest, and once you master that you can truly achieve anything you want to in this world. 

“Continue to dream, work hard, put the time in, show up early, and stay late. It’s the times that you work in silence when no one is around watching that prepares you for positioning yourself for success and a time to shine.” UNCG