Friday, March 16, 2018
Charlotte, North Carolina

Lipscomb who?

I think some folks in North Carolina and around the country now know a little bit more about Lipscomb!

The Bisons’ first appearance in the NCAA’s March Madness was not a win on the scoreboard, but there were a lot of victories!

It has been a long time since I sat between my two boys cheering the Bisons on!  Usually we are broadcasting from press row, but today we were fans!

PROUD fans to be exact!

My day began on a charter bus, heading to the Bisons’ shoot around at UNC-Charlotte!

The ride brought back a lot of memories!  I can’t tell you how many “team bus” rides I have been on during my career. Between baseball, basketball, and cheerleaders, I have booked a lot of miles!

Coach Casey Alexander and his staff are truly servant leaders.  On my first bus ride with the Bisons after he took over as coach of Lipscomb, he was going throughout the bus handing out soft drinks and water to everyone.  He is always carrying an equipment bag and helping load the bus on each trip!

Today was no exception.

My dad would have enjoyed today.  He loved the Bisons.  He and mom loved going on trips with our family to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City and Tulsa.  Watching the Bisons take on Carolina would have been a dream come true.

Dad taught me my love for basketball.  Some of my best memories are from Wednesday nights after mid-week services.  We would eat popcorn and watch ACC games on TV – when I should have been doing homework!  But it was great family time!   I cherish those memories!

My boys and Bethany have some great memories from road trips, watching games, and broadcasting games!  I hate Bethany missed the game today – but she was there in spirit!

Andy Lane and Wil Thornthwaite have a lot of Bison stories to share!  I guess we need to build a fire and just sit around telling old Bison stories – recording and documenting them for the next generation!

A great group of alumni and former players showed up for today’s game.  The Tennessean estimated that at least a 1000 Bison fans made the trek to Charlotte for this history-making game!

Today is not the end.  It is really just another stop along the Journey – a Journey that I have been blessed to be part of for years.  Last night I had a flashback to the NAIA National Tournament as Wade Tomlinson walked into the hotel lobby with Phil Hutcheson!  Great memories of those teams from the late 80’s and the early 90’s!  Today, the excitement in the Spectrum Center and the hundreds of fans who came to support the Bisons reminded me of those days…a new BISON NATION is being formed!

Thanks for some great memories!  Great things lie ahead for the Bisons!

Our Journey to the Son continues! Next stop: my hometown of Mocksville, NC!  Another chapter…and another first…my first Gospel Meeting!

Stay tuned…

JFS

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Thursday, March 15, 2018
Charlotte, North Carolina

 

I must admit, I don’t remember the first Lipscomb basketball game I attended.  I just know that for the past 45 years Bison basketball has been a very important part of my life! It has been estimated that I have seen over 1500 games in my career – wearing a headset during many of them while I was broadcasting for radio or TV.

On the other side of the coin, I have been a Carolina fan since I was big enough to walk!  A lot of truth to being Carolina born and Carolina bred!  I would even hate to estimate how many Carolina games I have listened to on the radio, internet or watched on TV!  Woody Durham, the long time “Voice of the Tar Heels,” was the broadcaster I listened to and modeled my broadcasting after since I was a teenager.  In 2010, when Justin, Benjamin, and I broadcasted the LU/UNC game from the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, we all got our picture made with Woody – truly a photo I will cherish.  Woody’s son Wes and I worked together at WSM radio in Nashville.  When he traveled for Vanderbilt I would fill in for him doing sports for WSM.

Woody Durham died March 7, 2018 from complications from primary progressive aphasia.

On Friday, March 16th – for just the second time in my life – I will pull against Carolina.

For the first time in the school’s history, Lipscomb is playing in the “Big Dance” … against the University of North Carolina … in Charlotte!

My oldest son Justin and I have the honor of broadcasting all the Bison home games on ESPN3.  However, for the NCAA tournament we will just be fans in the stands!

Last week, Lipscomb’s Director of Athletics Philip Hutcheson extended to Justin and me an invitation to travel with the team, including credentials to be on the floor for Thursday practices, shoot around on Friday and pre-game activities!  What an honor!

I was in Kansas City when the Bisons, coached by Don Meyer, made their first appearance at the NAIA tournament in 1982. I spent twenty years in athletic administration at Lipscomb, and I filled out and submitted the application in 1999 for Lipscomb to move to the NCAA Division I.  Beginning in 2000 my role switched from administrator to fan/broadcaster. Steve Potts, who replaced me as Athletic Director at Lipscomb, was gracious to ask me to continue in my broadcasting role.  I was part of the search team to hire Coach Scott Sanderson, who took Lipscomb through the transition from the NAIA to the NCAA. During his tenure at Lipscomb I continued to broadcast for the Bisons’ games.  When Philip Hutcheson took over as AD, I began feeling my age – I had broadcast all of his games when he played for the Bisons!

It has been a great Journey!

We have been close, with lots of heartbreaks, but tomorrow the Bisons will make their first appearance in a March Madness game!

Today has been a dream come true.

This morning Justin and I got to be on the court in the Spectrum Center when the Bisons took to the floor for their open practice.  It was a neat feeling to see these Bisons take to the court for practice led by Coach Casey Alexander.

Justin and I were then able to spend some quality time with the CBS broadcasting team of Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery and Tracy Wolfson, sharing with them about the Bisons!

When we walked up, Bill Raftery heard our names and said, “You are the father and son broadcast team!”

That made my day!

However, our day was a long way from over.  We spent a lot of priceless time talking with the broadcast team and soaking up everything we could!  Later, I would return to get Jim Nantz to autograph my copy of his book, Always By My Side: A Father’s Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other.  He was so encouraging to Justin and me, telling us to enjoy our Journey.  He also got a little emotional when he talked about the death of his father…it was very hard for me to hold back my emotions!

The day could have ended.

But, instead we went to watch the Tar Heels practice.  We spent time with Jones Angell, who now serves as the “Voice of the Tar Heels.”  We had a great conversation about the Bisons, about the impact of Woody Durham on both of us as announcers, and what to expect when the Heels and the Bisons meet up tomorrow!

Our hope was to get to meet UNC Coach Roy Williams!  I was dressed in my purple and gold, but I reached out to Coach Williams and I told him I had been a fan all my life – which is the case for all my children – Justin, Benjamin, and Bethany!  He was so gracious.  He took extra time out of a busy schedule to listen to us, to share a couple of stories, and to take a couple of pictures that will find their way to my office.

Today has been a fun day!

Now, it is time to get down to business.  We have some basketball to play on Friday!  It is Lipscomb and Carolina!  I will be wearing my “purple and gold” and cheering for my Bisons to pull a big upset!  That is what March Madness is all about!

It is just about time to “put it in the book!”

My Journey continues….

JFS