A Purdue University professor and alumnus raced against the clock to create a one-of-a-kind guitar for Monday Night Football in Indianapolis, completing the project in just 2.5 weeks after receiving a call from ESPN.
Mark French, a professor of engineering technology at Purdue, leads the university's Guitar Lab, where students design and build guitars. When ESPN reached out about creating a custom Monday Night Football guitar, French knew he was facing an unprecedented challenge.
"Typically, these things will take several months, and so doing it 2.5 weeks is unheard of," said Noah Scott, a Purdue alumnus who answered that call and collaborated on the project.
The phone call from ESPN came with a tight deadline and a unique request.
"Hey, the game's coming up in 2.5 weeks here in Indy, and we saw your other guitar with the Colts. What if you built a Monday Night Football guitar? And I was like, 'What if?'" Scott said.
For this special guitar, French and Scott tried something they had never attempted before. They glued Wilson football leather — the same material used on official NFL game balls — to the guitar's wooden body.
"We're having to kind of learn as we go here. There's not much time for experimentation," French said.
While this project puts French's skills in the national spotlight, the Guitar Lab primarily serves as an educational space for students. The class is so popular that every semester has a waitlist.
"I mean, who doesn't want to make guitars?" French said.
The Guitar Lab provides students with hands-on learning opportunities for designing and building guitars.
"It's a place where they come to learn all kinds of things ranging from hand skills and basic woodworking, but up through product design and manufacture," French said.
When Scott tried to excite French about the project's visibility, he mentioned it would be seen by Peyton Manning. French's response revealed his limited football knowledge.
"I said, 'Who is Peyton Manning?'" French admitted. "I'd heard his name. I knew he was a great philanthropist, and there's a hospital named after him, so he's got to be a pretty straight-up guy to do that. I knew he was a football player of some sort. I didn't know who he played for," French said with a smile.
Though French may not be a football expert, his craftsmanship will be featured during the pre-game show in Indianapolis for Monday Night Football.
"This is really neat. I mean, it's not something I've ever done before, and professors don't get the chance to do stuff like this very often," French said.
Scott hopes the guitar will have a lasting impact beyond the single game.
"Hopefully it will be more evergreen beyond just this one game because not only is it ESPN football guitar, but it's a Monday Night Football guitar," Scott said.
He had an unforgettable moment during the pre-game, getting to play the guitar while ESPN commentator and former NFL player Jason Kelce rocked out next to him.
And that guitar? 👀 Check out #Purdue guitar lab collaborator Noah Scott jamming with @ESPNNFL analyst @JasonKelce.
— Purdue University (@LifeAtPurdue) December 23, 2025
See how #Boilermakers built the custom #MNF guitar with assistance from @WilsonFootball, @Fender, @SweetwaterSound and @BoilerFootball: https://t.co/W1miR5XbHt https://t.co/rL6Y0JAaIw
