what i know now
sports anchor
age: 27
hometown: Montgomery, AL
career: Weekend Sports Anchor at Alabama News Network
(WAKA/WNCF). I anchor six sportscasts each weekend
including a weekly 30-minute sports show called Overtime
on Sunday evenings. Saturday’s are meant for college football,
which is the best part of the job. We travel heavily during
football season for weekly press conferences (Monday in
Tuscaloosa and Tuesday in Auburn) and hit the high school
gridiron on Friday evenings. I’ve covered two College Football
Playoffs with two National Championships in nearly four years.
Anything from SEC Media Days to the Montgomery Biscuits,
I’ve done it all.
education: Auburn University at Montgomery ‘15,
Journalism major/photography minor.
growing up: I wanted to be a computer engineer. My
step father, Steve Bryant, was very successful, and I thought it
would be a good fit for me.
a competitive career
darrell
puckett
secret to success: I’m not the most talented TV/
radio journalist out there, but I have most definitely worked
as hard or harder than anyone else in my field—whatever it
takes. You’re always going to be your biggest critic. You have to
be honest with yourself and always be able to take instruction/
criticism from more experienced broadcasters. Be humble and
work extremely hard.
parental impact: My parents always pushed me to
follow my passion and dreams. Their advice was to do what
you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. You’re going
to spend the majority of your life at work making a living. Why
not be in love with your career? Life is too difficult to have a
career you hate.
other influences: I worked as an intern under Doug
Amos and Charlie Trotman at WTXK ESPN The Ticket in
Montgomery for 3-4 years.
Top 5 Favorites:
1. Morgan (my wife)
2. Dave Ramsey podcasts
and books
3. Golf
4. Shoes
5. Suits
can't live without:
Coffee, Chick-fil-a, and snacks.
8
| Spring 2020
advice for teens: I should have not gotten student
loans at all. It’s possible to pay for a state school out of pocket if
you’re working a full-time job. Never give up on your dreams.
Always have a plan and goals to achieve. Make a note of
successful goals and celebrate to keep your confidence up. It’s
all up to you. God’s plan will be perfect at the right time always.
Trust Him and don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s okay to fail. It’s
not okay to ignore ownership for your mistakes. Be better.
funny story: I once was walking behind Joe Tessitore, at
the time with SEC Network, as he turned around very quickly.
I then walked backwards and asked him to join our show for an
interview. He asked what my name was and my response was
“um ... um ... um ... um” for a least 30 seconds. I eventually got
my name out and he gladly gave us his only local radio show
interview of the entire week.
www.potentialmagazine.com