Hometown: Geneva, IL

Major: Journalism

Years at IU: 1998 – 2002

What he did at IU: I was a Journalism major walking the halls of Ernie Pyle. I was an Indiana student from 1998 until 2002. Outside of class, I worked from day 1 at the student radio station — then known as WIUS AM 1570 Pure Student Radio. I did sports updates, hosted shows, called play-by-play on just about every sport the school offered, and covered breaking news that included the firing of Bob Knight. Eventually, I worked my way up to Sports Director duties with Ben Johnson for my senior year. I also was the City/Region Editor at the Indiana Daily Student and when I wasn’t putting the pages together, I was covering stories and writing columns as well. I also did television work for IU Student Television, turning features that often ran on the women’s basketball broadcasts.

What he does now: Currently, I’m working in Phoenix as an Anchor and Reporter for FOX 10 News (KSAZ-TV). We’re the number #1 station in the market, and I cover news on a day-to-day basis. While I’ll always love sports and always pitch sports related stories, this allows me to branch into serious issues that involve sports. One of the biggest stories is a hazing scandal that’s enveloped a perennial high school football program here. Having covered sports my entire career, I’ve been able to use my intimate knowledge of the sport and the society around it to build sources for information in an ongoing major story. Plus, when one of the teams makes a playoff run, I get to do the “fan story” and make it more authentic thanks to my sports background, something I was able to do with the Diamondbacks this past fall.

What advice he has for sports media students: My advice for students is a philosophy I’ve held onto since the beginning. “See it to the end.” Outlast the competition, keep working, keep fighting. If you do that, good things will happen to you, luck will find you, and you’ll have perfect timing for that dream job. Send your tape to anyone who has eyes and ears. Try not to feel like you’re auditioning every time you’re behind a microphone. Listen when you get feedback. Don’t network, build relationships. Big difference there. Do everything in your power to maximize your chance that the career you’ve always wanted. You may not feel like it’s for you, but at least you took your chance to “see it to the end.”