Thousands of North Carolina football and basketball fans can close their eyes and hear the voice of Woody Durham calling their favorite Tarheel moments. Funny enough, thousands of Georgia Tech fans can do the same, and instead hear the voice of his son, Wes Durham. Broadcasting runs in the Durham name, and Wes has managed to step out of any perceived shadow that could have been put on him because of his dad’s legacy, and forged a successful legacy of his own.
- Wes Durham is the radio voice of the Atlanta Falcons, does TV play-by-play of ACC college football and hoops for Fox Sports South and is the co-host with Mark Packer of ACC This Morning on SiriusXM’s ACC Radio, channel 371. Oh, and before that, he was the radio play-by-play voice for Georgia Tech football and basketball for 18 years. Wes has broadcasting in his blood, thanks to being the son of Woody Durham, who was the voice of the North Carolina Tarheels for 40 years. However, while some would think that those would be some big shoes to fill in sports broadcasting, Wes managed to forge his own path in media and continues to challenge himself even today. I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Wes through the ACC Channel, and it was even more of a pleasure to get to hear some of his stories here. We’ll chat about how he got into broadcasting and the role his father played in that, some of his early jobs and responsibilities, challenges along the way, stories of his dad, working at a roller rink in high school, getting dunked on (twice) and more!
- Follow Wes on Twitter -> @WesDurham. The interview starts at the 4:35 mark.
– In the interview, we discuss:
How getting dunked on helped steer him to pursue broadcasting (5:04), meeting Michael Jordan’s high school teammates before meeting him (9:55), how his dad, Woody Durham, felt about him wanting to pursue broadcasting and some early advice (12:27), how much growing up around sports helped once he started covering sports (16:01), if he ever tried to get out of his father’s shadow (18:10), some of his first jobs and responsibilities in sports media (20:13), the biggest challenge along the way (22:29), how much his career changed when he became a dad (24:13), advice for aspiring sports broadcasters (25:59) and working the ACC Tournament the day his father passed away in March (29:53).
Eazy (or) Pass, featuring some quick-hitting questions (34:20)
* If he’d ever have to buy a drink in Durham, North Carolina (34:34)
* If he does any vocal exercises (37:27)
* The hardest sport to do play-by-play for (38:38)
* Favorite North Carolina game as a fan (39:36)
* Working as a disc jockey at a roller rink in high school (42:18)
* If Woody Durham was more prepared for the games or what he’d wear to them (45:25)
* The worst punishment Woody handed down (46:47)
* If he ever sent his father his tapes (48:12)
* The strangest thing his dad had to broadcast #CaptainWoodysSpaceship (50:16)
* His favorite #HeyWoody moment (52:17)
* Who knows more about the ACC, himself or Mark Packer (53:50)
* If he’s over Super Bowl 51 yet (54:31)
- “Five Minutes in the Film Room” with Joe Baress, former star of the prestigious John and Joe Sports Show, faces his fears of horror and breaks down “The Equalizer 2,” which Rotten Tomatoes describes as: Denzel Washington returns to one of his signature roles in the first sequel of his career. Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed – but how far will he go when that is someone he loves? (56:54). You can follow Joe on Twitter @dukemich and read his movie reviews, previews and ratings at cupof-joe.com.
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