Daniel Mycroft is a 24-year-old junior majoring in Computer Science at Clarke. He is a member of the E-Sports team accumulating several accomplishments throughout his career that transcend the state of Iowa. Specializing in the game of Madden, his name has become synonymous with success in the world of video gaming. One of his most notable achievements was winning the Nissan Heisman House Challenge in December of 2024.
At the age of 18, Daniel began to enter video gaming competitions, winning his first tournament shortly after that included a $2,000 prize and a paid flight to Las Vegas. Daniel says it was this first win that made him realize he could make a career out of video gaming and that it would provide him with the opportunity to travel across the U.S. before coming to Clarke, Daniel had built quite the resume within the realm of E-Sports and started to build a brand for himself. One of his many accomplishments includes working with the Seattle Seahawks, where he was contracted by their marketing team for 18 months. Shortly after this job experience and 3 years of mastering his skills, taking advantage of his time outside of school to build his online brand streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, Daniel decided to seek out the college experience.
Having been recruited to come to Clarke to join the E-Sports team, the Seattle, Washington native traveled to the Midwest in hopes of growing his brand even more, while pursuing a higher education. One of the reasons Daniel chose Clarke was for the small school aspect and the surplus of academic support provided, knowing it is a tool that would allow him to thrive in the classroom. Daniel decided to major in Computer Science as he hopes to use the knowledge learned in the classroom and apply it in the gaming room. He says that his degree will help him to work more efficiently in the realm of electronic arts, similar to the people who make games like Madden. Furthermore, his degree could transfer over to being equipped to work in video game development, helping him to better understand the inner makings of the games he plays.
During his time at Clarke, Daniel has grown accustomed to the different competition system. With E-Sports being a more independent sport, he says that on Wednesdays he plays in a tournament from 5 pm to 8 pm after fulfilling the requirements of the signup that include approval and verification of your transcript. In his three short years he has accumulated several accomplishments under the Clarke team. Some of these awards include finishing in 9th place in the Madden National Championship Tournament his freshman year and winning the Championship his sophomore year, including a $5,000 prize and being flown out to Detroit to compete. He hopes to continue accumulating more accomplishments throughout his last couple of years at Clarke. In terms of giving back to Clarke, Daniel plans to help run fundraisers and host potential tournaments in May at the Dubuque E-Sports League, which is a local venue for high school students. This event will be intended to help with recruiting and showcase Clarke E-Sports with hopes of expanding the team.
In addition to competing under Clarke, Daniel also competes independently, playing in tournaments every Saturday and Sunday from around 12 pm to 8 pm. In September of 2024, he entered a tournament where, after placing within the top 8 spots in the initial competition, he was flown out to Orlando where he finished in 8th place. He has also been flown out to North Carolina and Los Angeles on separate occasions for other competitions he has competed in independently. One of his more recent and well-known accomplishments is when he won the Nissan Heisman House Challenge last December. When recounting the events, Daniel states that Nissan wanted to host its first big video game tournament in Los Angeles, California. Through his highly successful and well-known Madden background, he was reached out to by the heads of the tournament and asked to participate. He excitedly recalls being interviewed by ESPN and meeting Heisman trophy winner Reggie Bush in addition to talking to multiple other Heisman winners over the phone. He proudly states that this was his first win in a major tournament for Madden, having been awarded the grand prize of a new car.
When asked about advice he would give to other E-Sports players, he talks about how important it is to be super open-minded about the opportunities that you are given. He says the world of E-Sports can help you learn skills that can be applied beyond the game. Some of these skills include learning how to market oneself and being educated in video production as well as in graphic design. He emphasizes how it is possible to make a great career within E-Sports and that gaming can open a multitude of opportunities for anyone.
After graduating from Clarke, Daniel plans to stay in the Midwest and continue his professional career in Madden. Beyond competing, he is interested in potentially getting a job within EA (electronic sports) and being able to apply everything he has learned from Clarke and professional gaming into his future endeavors.
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