Next week on my BLOG, I will have my write-up of the Texas High School Coaches Association all star football game on Wednesday, my thoughts on the Number 5 ranked High School football team for the preseason by the Express News on Thursday, how I got started in television on Friday, and on Sunday it will be my July update on health and exercise.
How I got started as a Radio Statistician
I was the Manager of the Clark high school basketball team from 1991-1995. I filmed all the varsity games and kept score and operated the scoreboard at the freshmen and junior varsity games. It was an amazing experience and the coaches were wonderful. I still keep in touch with both coaches; Coach Murphy is a real estate agent and Coach Hamilton is the assistant athletic director at Northside ISD.
Occasionally at a Varsity basketball game, one may see some very familiar faces. One was Bob Hill, former coach of the Spurs. His son was on the varsity team. Another was Buddy Meyer, the former coach at St. Marys University. His son was the starting point guard. Or maybe Gregg Popovich, back then he was an assistant coach for the Spurs. His daughter played for the girls team. And, if Clark played MacArthur, you may see George Gervin, former Spur. His son played for Mac! Pretty cool?
We had a free throw shooting contest during practice one day and they needed one more player. Coach Murphy chose me. Now, back then, I actually was a good outside shooter! Well, I participated in the free throw shooting contest and guess what happened? I didn’t win, but I came in 3rd! I lost to the starting shooting guard and forward. Wow. Flash forward 17 years later and my basketball skills have disappeared. I am horrible.
I started summer school for college in 1995 and at that same time, a friend of mine, Marc Hoenig, was starting his radio broadcasting career for the Cuero high school basketball team which is about 90 miles from San Antonio. Marc’s parents were good friends with my parent’s our families hung out a lot together.
Marc was aware that I had some statistician experience in high school and he offered me a job as a statistician. The pay was very little and would come from his own pocket. I accepted right away; it seemed like a fun opportunity and something new. I didn’t mind that there would be games during the weekday.
After the Cuero basketball season ended, Marc did play-by-play for high school football games and I went along side him to do stats. I didn’t know a lot about the football rules and stats but I picked it up as I watched the games.
One of my first football games that I ever worked was at Schulenberg stadium and me, Marc, and Dave Paul stopped for food at Dairy Queen and we all got sick from the chicken tenders!!! My advice to you is “Don’t ever eat regular food at Dairy Queen. Eat dessert only!” Dave is the co-founder of Pluckers Wing Bar in Austin, Texas; I guess he learned his lesson!
While I was working with Marc, I met Bobby Stautzenberger. Bobby is the owner of RJS High School Sports which is affiliated with the Texas Sports Radio Network. RJS and TSRN broadcast high school baseball, basketball, and football games on the radio and the internet. Soon after I met Bobby, I was officially on the payroll for RJS High School Sports as a football radio statistician. To this day, I still don’t know how I made that transition. Maybe there was a secret auction and Bobby won the bidding!
For all the radio broadcasts, we have to set-up and take-down the equipment. I hang the banners. If we need food or drink we have to stand in line at the concession stands and pay for it. A few stadiums have food and drinks in the press-box and that is very nice.
One game we did at the Spring Sports complex we had to broadcast the game from the visiting press-box and the phone line didn’t work! Bobby Stautzenberger and I ended up using a 100 foot phone cord and plugging it in at the baseball stadium press-box. At that same game, it was super hot outside and there was no a/c in the booth and normally we have a 3 man broadcasting crew, but that night we had more as they were being trained for stats and broadcasting. When that game ended, I was so happy to get in my car and blast the a/c!!!
There have been a few games where the phone line didn’t work at all and a cell phone had to be used. Bobby, Tony Franklin, and I worked a Judson vs Steele Knights game in Schertz 2 years ago and the phone line didn’t want to work. I was running around like a maniac with Robert Lehhnoff (the athletic director) trying to find a remedy. Ultimately, we had to move all the radio equipment to the main area of the press-box where we were able to use the stadium phone line but there was no room for Bobby and Tony; we had to ask a few people to move! We missed the first few minutes of the game, but when the game was over, it was a great and exciting broadcast as Steele defeated Judson in overtime on a two point conversion by Tommy Armstrong. But, I along with many Judson fan still don’t think Tommy ever crossed the line. I had a great vantage point from where I was standing, I had my glasses on, and the press-box is close to the field. Tommy was 3 inches short!!!
Bobby does a live scoreboard show at 10:30 on Friday from whatever stadium we are at. I help him gather scores. Well, several years ago, we were at Comalander stadium (we were broadcasting the game from the visitors press-box; there was no room for us in the big expensive press-box). The athletic staff knew we were there and would be gone at 11:00. Bobby and I had most of the equipment packed up and about half way thru the show, the power got turned off in the stadium. Bobby and I were pissed as we had to frantically throw the rest of the equipment in the box in the dark and go down the stairs in the dark. During this ordeal, Bobby used his cell phone to get back on the air. We finished the scoreboard show on the hood of his car since there was a parking lot light right where his car was. I think it was done on purpose.
I have gotten better and better each year and am overjoyed when other radio crews request to work with me or when other radio crews breath a sigh of relief when they see me!
I worked for ESPN radio in 2001 for the Alamo Bowl. I also worked with Jeff Watts Production for a state championship game in 2006 that was broadcasted live on the internet only.
This year marks my 16th with RJS and TSRN! Holy Crap, that is a long time; almost half of my life.
I am going to write about each game I work this season and they will appear on my BLOG on Saturday’s and Sunday’s.