Why I love sports: Reader responses for Sunday, June 21

I was quickly proven wrong. Within a couple of months on the job at KFDX-TV, I was asked to fill in for a time as a sportscaster. The sports flame would not die. About a year later I was fortunate to be hired at one of the best television stations in the country, WKY-TV in Oklahoma City. Same job description — news reporter/photographer. No sports connection promised nor implied. But once again, it was meant to be. As part of my job at Channel 4 I began filming high school and college games for the sports department. Here we go. Involved with sports and getting paid for it! Then, two years later, a new head football coach took over at OU. Right place/right time for Barry Switzer, and for me. Howard Neumann hired me and his son, Steve, to become photographers, writers and co-producers of the Barry Switzer Show. Back then, the station pre-empted a valuable 30-minute slice of prime network time to air the coach’s program and it was syndicated throughout the region. It was a big deal. A lot of travel, and many hours of work in addition to my main job at the station for several months out of the year. But for a sports fan and OU alum, it was like hitting the lottery.

The experiences that unfolded for me over the next 15 years can’t be adequately described. I got an up-close look and feel of some of the most memorable and thrilling moments in the great history of OU football, not just observing but documenting those events. I won’t attempt to single out my favorite individual moments — on the field, in the locker rooms or behind the scenes — there are far too many to do that justice. I shot video of every OU regular season and bowl game between 1973 and 1986, mainly from the sidelines where you can literally feel the game and in the locker rooms before and after games where the passion really pours out. It was exhilarating. All these years later I still see scenes I shot during those years either on the big screen in Norman or on TV. It makes me feel both proud and grateful.

I got to meet players, becoming long-time friends with some. Getting to know and work with Coach Switzer is something I never would have imagined as a kid sitting at home watching Bud Wilkinson use his “little men” to explain football on his show. It was great working with Barry. He knew how important television exposure was for fans and recruiting. He gave us amazing accessibility. I eventually met Bud, too, while doing a story about his days as head coach of the St. Louis football Cardinals.

My connection to sports took another turn while at Channel 4 as well. The legendary Don Wallace, of WKY radio fame, had developed an extremely popular outdoor program called the “Wallace Wildlife Show.” Don hosted the show and shot most of his own video but occasionally he would reach out to news photographers to take on those duties, especially when he traveled beyond the state as he often did. Thanks to Don, and his constant search for great fishing spots wherever they were, I got to see and shoot some amazing experiences and scenery all the way from the Arctic Circle to Mexico to Panama. Something else I never would have imagined having the opportunity to do.