This September, WEIS Radio will be celebrating its 60th year of broadcasting. It will also be the station’s 38th year of broadcasting football games.
As part of the station’s diamond anniversary celebration, Sports Director Shannon Fagan will have a series of Q&A features on some of the personalities who have called sporting events around the station’s coverage area in years past.
The first installment of “Behind the Mike” is with Bill Mobbs.
Q: How special is it for you to be a part of WEIS’s history?
A: “It’s been an honor to broadcast not only football games but basketball games too. I played baseball, football, and basketball, so I knew the terminology and stuff like that for broadcasting, but it’s been great. I think they started broadcasting live (sporting events) in 1983. Before that, they were only a daytime station.”
Q: Since coming under the ownership of Jerry Baker, the station continues to evolve, including its sports coverage. What’s it been like to work with someone as innovative as Jerry?
A: “I think Jerry has always been the kind of person who keeps things updated. He’s not afraid to do something new. He keeps in touch with the community and tries new things. He gets good people to work. He tells you what he wants. You do your job and he lets you do your job.
“We don’t have much turnover here. I’ve been here 19 years. Sheila (Richardson) has been here over 30 years. I was talking with Marc Summers and he’s been here for about 12. Kim (O’Brien) was here for 18 before she passed away. Andrew (Hughes) has been here for 10. We don’t have a lot of turnover, and there’s a reason for that. Jerry treats you like a human being, and a lot of people in radio don’t do that.”
Q: So what piqued your interest in radio broadcasting and in becoming a sports broadcaster?
A: “I always listened to the radio and they used to broadcast our games when I played. I got interested in radio through a friend of mine, the late Leroy Stansell. He was working at a radio station in the early 1970s in Fort Payne. I thought if he could do it I believe I can. I went to several places and applied for jobs. There was an opening for weekends that came open over at the station across town (WAGC). I think they started broadcasting here in 1961. They were just an AM (station). It’s not broadcasting now. They haven’t been broadcasting for about 10 years, maybe 15 since they’ve been on the air. I got the job on the weekends, and I liked it. I discovered how much I loved doing it, so that’s how I got into it.
“When I was working over there, the manager was Ralph Meade. He asked me one day when I was working weekends ‘Would you be interested in doing football?’ I said ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.’ I did the games on Friday nights, but it was different back then. Both stations were AM stations. You couldn’t broadcast them live because AM stations had to go off the air. You would do it live, but you would tape it while you were doing it on cassette tapes and play it back Saturday mornings. I never did a live football game until I worked at Rome at a station up there back in 1984. It was WLAQ.”
Q: What was the first sporting event you called on the air?
A: “The first game I did here (in Cherokee County), and I remember it like it was yesterday, was Sand Rock and Cedar Bluff (Aug. 1973). Both had good teams. I think Jimmy Meade was an all-state player for Cedar Bluff and Ronnie Shaw. He wasn’t only an all-state player at fullback and linebacker, but he was All-American. Cedar Bluff won that game 20-0, but Sand Rock got revenge in what they called the Charity Bowl, which was only like 1972, 73 and 74. Sand Rock beat them 18-13. Sand Rock wound up 6-4 and Cedar Bluff 7-3, but they didn’t make the playoffs because only one team went to the playoffs. Neither one won the region. You had some good teams that went like 9-1 and didn’t make the playoffs because you had to win the region to go.”
Q: How was it that you came to work at WEIS?
A: “I worked at WEIS once before in 1988 when I left Rome. I was kind of between jobs. I worked for Jerry from 6 until midnight doing gospel music. I was working during the daytime from 9 until 1. They had a station, WFPA in Fort Payne. You had to do what you had to do to make a living, but I’ve never dreaded a day in my life going to work. Ball games were just an extra. You get paid for them, and it’s fun doing them.
“I worked for Jerry in 1988 and came back to work here when I left at WZOB in Fort Payne in 2002. I’d been there for 14 years, and Jerry kept coming by and asked me if I would be interested in working. One day I said I think I will. That’s been 19 years this month.”
Q: How long have you called sporting events for WEIS?
A: “Probably since 1995 or 1996, but I’ve done ball games in Rome and Fort Payne, about everywhere I’ve been. I retired (from calling sports) in 2011.”
Q: Any broadcast partners you worked with that you’d like to mention?
A: “I did ball games with Nolen Sanford, and he’s still doing them. He does a good job. Nolen started about 1996 I believe. We kind of switched roles. I was doing play-by-play and he was an analyst, then we switched. I did the analyst and he did the play-by-play. I loved being an analyst. That was as much fun as doing play-by-play. I like statistics. I always keep statistics and that was fun too.
“Doug Davis helped me with basketball some. Scooter (Patrick) Walker, he’s an assistant coach for Steve (Smith) at Piedmont now. He helped me with basketball too.”
Q: I know basketball and football are two different sports. Is one harder to call than the other?
A: “Probably the easiest to call is basketball. I think one person can do basketball. I’ve done basketball games by myself before. There’s always action going on.
“In football, there’s a little bit of lull and you really need two people, but I’ve done games by myself before. You just have to take more commercial breaks, but you really need two people. You need an analyst and play-by-play. Play-by-play for me wasn’t that hard since I know the terminology.
“You’ve got to remember in radio you’ve got to describe what’s going on. I always liked to let people know (in football) what kind of formation they’re in, if they’ve got anybody split out. You’ve got to let people know if it’s a pass to the left side, you’ve got to let them know where the ball is. They’ll get lost if you don’t. You’ve got to let them know because they’re not watching TV.”
Q: What are some of the most memorable games, teams and players you recall while working at WEIS?
A: “The game I remember the most is the 2009 (Class 4A football) state championship game (between Cherokee County and Jackson). I got to do that game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Of course that was the game Coty Blanchard scored the winning touchdown and they won it 31-27. They went 15-0 and beat a good Jackson team. That was only their second loss of the year.
“Another game was Sand Rock in 1997 at Legion Field. Of course that was a big thrill. Sand Rock played Luverne and got beat, but they had a good team. They went 13-2 that year. I think the only game they lost that year was to Cedar Bluff.
“Sand Rock has had several good teams. They went 13-2 that year. In 1985, I wasn’t here then, but they won the state championship (in 1A). A lot of people don’t know they went 12-1 in 1996 and made it to the semifinals.
“Cedar Bluff has been to two state championship games. In 2006 they lost to Sweet Water and went 13-2 and in 2015 they went 13-2 and lost to Maplesville.
“As far as players go, Tyrone Moore made all-state in 1997 for Cedar Bluff. He was really, really good. Jamie Hampton was the quarterback on that 2006 team that went to the state championship game. He played at Troy and was outstanding there until he hurt his knee. Josh Moten was an all-state wide receiver. I think he broke the state career record for receptions for a career.
“Gage Davis only played one year (at Gaylesville) was a freshman all-state running back (in 2013). I think he rushed for 1,900 yards. He was just a natural.
“Sam Fife wasn’t just all-state, but he was an All-American running back at Cherokee County. Billy Woods is one of the best pure athletes I’ve ever seen. He made all-state and Cherokee County went undefeated that year in 1973. He played quarterback and defensive back. He was a four-year starter at defensive back for Georgia.
“Johnny Mack Dupree had one of the greatest years anybody’s ever had (at Gaylesville). That was in 1975. He was the 1A Back of the Year in 1976 and only played six games but rushed for 2,000 yards. That’s just some of the players.”
Q: Any advice you’d like to give any up-and-coming broadcasters?
A: “Just learn as much as you can if you want to do it. Keep knocking on doors and keep asking people. You’ve got to be persistent.”
