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| Let's go Maryland!!! Photo by C.J. Holley. |
When I came to the University of Maryland, I knew that I wanted to be involved in some capacity with journalism. However, I did not know whether I wanted to be a sportswriter or a broadcaster. My decision became a lot easier for me during my freshman year of college when I met my roommate, Steve Rudenstein, also known to his close friends simply as “Rudy”.
My roommate was going to an open house at the campus radio station and told me that I should come along and check it out. I went to the meeting and I have been working at WMUC ever since that night. Three years later, I am getting the opportunity to broadcast games for the football and men’s basketball teams, both of which have been big-time players in the national sports scene for the past couple of years.
All of my radio experiences, however, were eclipsed this past January when my roommate and I, along with four of my radio co-workers went to Jacksonville, Fla. to announce the Gator Bowl. The game, which featured Maryland and West Virginia has been the best opportunity and the highlight of my career so far in journalism.
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| We were literally broadcasting from the top of the stadium. Photo by C.J. Holley. |
The Terps routed the Mountaineers 41-7 and it was quite a locale to broadcast my first ever road football or basketball game. Six of us college students got to walk around the stadium and the press level with our heads held high, realizing how lucky we were to be granted this opportunity.
I tried to soak everything in because I was getting to go to a place that had perfect weather and a huge fan turnout to announce a New Year’s Day Bowl. So the day of the game, I got to the stadium earlier than all of my fellow announcers. I delighted in seeing die-hard fans throughout the parking lot tailgating and showing their Maryland pride.
Once I entered the stadium, I went down on the field and then hung around in the press box. The press box was packed with more than 100 reporters from television, radio and newspaper outlets from all across the country. When the other WMUC broadcasters got to the game, we went down on the stadium field to see the Terps warm up and to take some pictures of each other. I couldn’t wait to develop these photos and frame them on the wall next to my press pass.
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| WMUC at the Gator Bowl: Mark, Rudy, me and C.J. (l to r). Photo by C.J. Holley. |
While on the sidelines before the game, my roommate and I reminisced about last winter when we took a bus to Niagara University to broadcast a women’s basketball game. The temperature was below freezing and the handful of fans inside of the Niagara gym were not doing much to heat things up. The Purple Eagles gym held about 100 people; the Gator Bowl capacity is 73,000. I couldn’t help but think to myself how fitting it was that my roommate and I were broadcasting the Gator Bowl and it was because of him that I even got involved at the radio station. It was truly amazing to think about how far we had come.
Copyright© 2004 Josh Madden
