How did you get into sports broadcasting and have you always wanted to be a broadcaster? I don’t know that it ever hit me that I wanted to be a broadcaster though there were signs. When I was maybe 7-8 years old, I wrote my dad a letter that said “I’m going to be on Monday Night Football some day.” I used to announce my video games in my head as a kid too. That said, when I went to Marquette University for my undergrad, I started as a print journalism major. My first big article was edited from a fair-and-balanced piece to a fluff piece and I decided to switch to broadcasting. Still, I had dreams of being a shock jock. I didn’t get bit by the play-by-play bug until I announced my first Racine Raiders game. I became enamored with it and haven’t looked back.
What drew you to want to broadcast for the Racine Raiders? I originally joined the Raiders as a marketing person. I had just organized the MLB Fan Strike effort to try and keep Major League Baseball from having a strike or lockout in 2002. I was bored and looking to do something fun but that gave back to the community where I was raised and my family had made such an impact. After learning that my great uncle Bill Wadewitz was president of the Racine Belles, I thought that it would be awesome to get involved with the Raiders. The legendary Gary Suhr had just retired and they needed a backup for Joe Mooney and discovered my degree was in broadcasting and the rest is history I guess.
How do you prepare for gameday? One of the things I’m most proud of is my preparation. It means a ton to me that many of my colleagues tell me how my preparation is ridiculous (in a good way). Prep for success is a mantra that is particularly strong in the play-by-play role. I spend hours for every hour we’re on-the-air researching, preparing, and making sure our team has the information they need for us all to be successful. It’s challenging at the Raiders level to get information sometimes but I start with the basics of rosters and stats. I watch previous games for both the Raiders and their opponents. I talk to coaches when I’m able to get in touch with them. I scour the Internet looking for information on players that played college or high school football as well as personal stories about them. The players and coaches do this for the love of the game and I try to humanize them as much as possible through stories.
What is your favorite part about calling a Racine Raiders game? The Sunday once I’ve gotten some sleep! Players talk about practice being the work and the game just being fun if you prepare properly. That’s it for me as well. I put in the work during the week and then Saturday nights is a chance to be with energizing people and bring a game to life. It’s like a murder mystery though…you never know where the game is going to take you. I do get mentally drained after most games and the sleep and the next day are nice too.
What has been the most memorable Raiders game you have broadcasted? There’s so many for so many different reasons so I’m going to answer your question a little differently. The 2023 season was the most fulfilling Raiders season in my 20+ years with the team. All of the longer road trips and the back-to-back bus trips to the East Coast made that title so fulfilling to be a part of. It reminded me of doing play-by-play for UW-Whitewater and their national championship runs in football. Then, to have hundreds of people lined up at Historic Horlick Athletic Field when we arrived was an amazing sight. We turned the corner and it was like the ending of Field of Dreams where you just saw this long line of lights except it was a stream of people at around 3 am. It was so fulfilling and crazy!
What are some of your Hobbies/Interests outside of work? I love playing softball and traveling. I have a business called AwesomeU where I speak at conferences and provide training and leadership consultation. I love to read non-fiction books in the business and leadership realms. I also teach in the Sports Management program at UW-Parkside. Last, but definitely not least, I love hanging out with my wife and our two cats.
