TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — When you listen to Troy football on the radio, do you ever wonder who the man on the other side is?
His name is Barry McKnight, the play-by-play commentator for Troy Sports Radio Network. He is also the Broadcasting Director for the university.
Along with color commentator Jerry Miller, on-field reporter Chris Blackshear, and spotter Bob Templin, McKnight makes up the behind-the-scenes crew for Troy football on the radio each week. But the job isn’t as easy as calling what you see on the field.
“More than anything else, the best feeling I get in all the preparation I do for everything, is right before the broadcast, to have that feeling that I’m ready,” McKnight said. “That I know whatever happens in this game or whatever challenges happen during the broadcast, is that I can handle it because I’m prepared.”
McKnight not only commentates football, but also basketball, baseball, volleyball and other sports for Troy. He’s not limited to radio as on occasion, ESPN will tap him to commentate Troy’s non-football home games on ESPN+.
McKnight has been the voice of the Trojans since 2002, and has seen how much the university has grown in the last 22 years.
“The university has just mushroomed,” McKnight said. “I remember when I first got the job, I was interviewed, I said ‘I feel like, the athletic department and the university, I’m stepping on a rising elevator.’
But more than anything else, everything has just improved. The commitment is greater. The demand for excellence is greater as well, and the reasons why is because it’s been committed to getting better, and it’s been committed to getting bigger, and it’s been committed to success the whole time.”
Although he’s been calling Troy sports since 2002, McKnight has actually been commentating sports as far back as his college days, when he was part of the radio crew for a February baseball game of a Bo Jackson-led Auburn team. One tip that he gives to those who want to pursue a career in sports radio is convey your message creatively and work in the field.
“It’s the ability to transmit what’s going on on the field in a creative way,” McKnight said. “The command of the English language is just as important as the love of the sport. So, command the language, become proficient in the English language, read all that you can, and never turn down an opportunity, because sometimes they are a little bit harder to come by than others.”
Now that you know the man behind the voice, next time you hear “Touchdown, Men of Troy!”, you can better understand the years that went into that call.
