Voices in the Game has an all-new episode with Keith Kelly, the radio play-by-play announcer for Wyoming Cowboys football & men's basketball. Keith discusses his path into the business, his move to Wyoming, the current state of college athletics, and how he built his sportscasting career by hosting a daily sports talk show and calling Wyoming high school football, basketball, American Legion baseball, and Wyoming Cowgirls basketball before taking over the headset for Cowboys football and men’s basketball. I had the opportunity to get to know Keith during my year living in Wyoming, and I am thrilled for you all to hear more about his story of calling games in the Cowboy State!

Today’s episode of Voices in the Game features an entertaining conversation with Pittsburgh sports journalist and broadcaster Tim Benz. Tim wears many hats in Pittsburgh sports media. He is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the TV play-by-play announcer for Robert Morris Men’s Hockey, as well as Duquesne Football and Men’s Basketball. He also hosts several podcasts, including Breakfast with Benz, The Friday Football Show with Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News, and Unfiltered with fellow Pittsburgh sports media personality Mark Madden. Tim is also a fill-in host for Madden’s weekday afternoon sports talk show on 105.9 The X.  In this episode, Tim shares what it was like breaking into the industry, how he juggles his many roles, and his favorite memories calling games for Duquesne and Robert Morris. If you’re a Pittsburgh sports fan, you’ll love hearing Tim’s story!

We have another great coaching conversation on this week’s episode of Voices in the Game with Jim Chester, Head Baseball Coach of the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs! Jim reflects on growing up in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the journey that led him to Gardner-Webb, and shares his perspective on today’s college sports landscape. It was such a pleasure having Jim on the show! His journey and experiences in coaching college baseball are ones you won’t want to miss.

Episode #14 of Voices in the Game features a fantastic conversation with Alex Panormios! Alex is set to begin his 31st season as the radio voice of Duquesne football in 2025, while also serving as the play-by-play announcer for Duquesne women’s basketball. In this episode, Alex shares his unique journey into sportscasting—starting his own streaming network to broadcast high school football in Southwestern Pennsylvania before taking the mic for Duquesne football and women’s basketball. He reflects on his favorite memories behind the headset, the daily grind of running his own streaming network, and plenty more stories from his decades in the business.

0:00 The Beginning of Wanting to be a Sportscaster 3:53 Calling Games at Westminster 6:37 Working with Bob Prince 11:38 The Beginning of Calling RMU Basketball 18:08 Staying With Robert Morris 19:22 From 2-6 to a Shaved Head 24:05 Calling 8 NCAA Tournament Games 27:55 Calling RMU's 2025 Tournament Game vs. Alabama 29:51 Building Relationships with Players and Coaches 31:34 2013 NIT Tournament vs. Kentucky 35:01 The Beginning of RMU Football 38:10 Calling the Inaugural RMU Football Season 40:25 Calling RMU's FCS Playoff Game vs. North Dakota State 41:41 Favorite Away Arenas 43:36 Seeing the Growth of College Athletics 47:04 Favorite RMU Game 51:00 "To Think I Did All That" 54:05 Filling In for Pitt and Princeton Basketball 57:34 Meeting Other Sportscasters 59:23 Favorite Memories Calling High School Football & Basketball 01:01:48 How the Industry Has Changed 01:03:22 RMU Football's 2025 Opener vs. West Virginia 01:06:49 RMU Men's Basketball 2025-2026 Season Preview 01:08:35 Being Inducted Into the PA Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame 01:10:55 Advice for Breaking into the Sports Industry

0:00 Wanting to Get Into the Broadcasting Industry 5:56 Playing Football at Pitt 9:41 Life as a Student Athlete 12:20 Moving to the Big Apple 15:33 Growing the Audience at WHTZ Z-10 17:30 Responsibilities as the Sports Director of a Radio Station 18:44 Most Memorable Games in New York 20:26 Observing Remarkable Stories 23:17 Meeting Muhammad Ali and More Childhood Stories 28:19 Starting “Pens Confidential” 30:44 The Revolution of Pro Sports Teams Creating Their Own Content 33:34 Asking Mister Rogers to Be in the Music Video 35:27 Creating Mario Lemieux's Retirement Video in 1997 41:03 Sudden Death 43:35 Howard Baldwin's Time Owning the Penguins 46:07 Juggling Different Duties at WTAE & Learning from Pittsburgh Media Legends 51:35 Mario Lemieux’s Return to Mellon Arena on December 27th, 2000 56:45 Being Inside Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium on October 14th, 1992 1:01:02 Creating Pre & Post Game Shows for TV 1:02:50 Working with Athletes Transitioning to TV 1:04:34 The Beginnings of Writing “Pride” 1:10:50 Interacting with Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac 1:12:56 Working On-Set with Everyone Involved to Make the Film 1:15:47 The Art Behind Creating An “Inspired By True Events” Story 1:18:57 Watching the Film for the First Time 1:22:54 Joining Pitt as a Professor 1:26:22 Growing the Broadcast Program at Pitt 1:28:05 Teaching an NIL Class at Pitt 1:31:57 "Your Name is the First Thing You Receive When You’re Born"

0:00 Playing Soccer Growing Up in England  7:20 First Interest in Wanting to Coach 8:35 First Coaching Opportunities in England & America 12:42 First Impressions of America 14:01 Watching Major League Soccer 15:41 Progression of Youth Soccer in America 17:22 Switching to Saying "Soccer" 18:35 Biggest Lessons From the Early Years in America 20:46 Moving to Southwestern Pennsylvania 21:31 First Impressions of Pittsburgh 22:35 Embracing American Sports 24:08 Going to Watch Penn State Football 26:47 First Opportunity Coaching High School Soccer 28:30 Becoming a High School Head Coach 30:17 Opportunity to Join Penn State New Kensington 31:44 Biggest Lessons From First Season 33:33 Recruiting 34:29 2024 Season 37:33 Favorite Memories at New Ken 38:54 2025 Season Preview 39:58 Primary Coaching Philosophies  41:27 Becoming an American Citizen  42:40 Balancing Family Life 45:01 From Youth Soccer to College 48:04 Coaching the In-Laws 49:29 Differences in Coaching in High School & College 50:24 Jumping Into the Commentators' Booth 53:14 Advice for Breaking into the Sports Industry 53:53 Favorite Memory

0:00 From Wiffle Ball to the Sports Desk 2:25 Hartford Whalers 3:29 Lessons From Ohio University 4:42 Stops in Chicago, DC, Hartford, & Mobile. 7:58 First Impressions of Pittsburgh 10:01 Learning From Pittsburgh Legends 11:52 Building and Maintaining Relationships with Coaches and Athletes 14:52 How the Sports Media Business Has Changed 17:32 Reaching Out for Interviews 18:55 Most Memorable Pittsburgh Sports Moments 20:46 Favorite Interviews 23:01 Steelers Playing in Ireland and the 2026 NFL Draft 25:56 Behind-the-Scenes Work 27:32 Surprising Parts of Job 28:54 Adding News at WTAE 32:06 Creating Relationships in the Community 33:31 Filling In as the Pirates PA Announcer 34:55 Serving on the Steelers Hall of Honor Selection Committee 36:34 Reflecting on 30 Years in Pittsburgh 38:13 Advice for Breaking into the Sports Industry 40:28 Favorite Memory

0:00 The Beginning of Playing Football 2:54 Dreams of Being a Coach & Broadcaster 5:10 Life of Being a College Football Player 6:33 Differences Playing D1, D2, and D3 Football 7:44 Favorite Memories Playing College Football 9:16 Playing Professional Football in Germany 15:30 Playing Arena Football 17:37 Going Back to School 18:50 The Recruiting Trail 20:06 First Head Coaching Opportunity 23:10 Biggest Lessons From Cherry Hill 24:41 Getting Back Into Coaching After a Year Off 25:25 Teaching Construction 27:57 Football Outlook for 2025 29:00 The Grind of Being a Coach 31:34 Main Coaching Philosophies 33:07 Favorite Part About Coaching 33:48 Differences Coaching High School and College 35:13 Coaching in the NIL/Transfer Portal Era 37:04 Getting Into Broadcasting 41:22 Biggest Lessons After First Year with Shippensburg 42:39 Preparing to Call Games 44:15 Getting the Opportunity to Call Princeton Football 45:47 Calling the NJ State Championship at MetLife Stadium 47:45 Using Football Background to Call Games 51:22 Calling Basketball 52:42 First Starting A Coach’s Challenge Podcast 56:44 Advice for Breaking into the Sports Industry 59:20 Favorite Memory in the Sports Industry

0:00 The Start of Getting into the Sports Industry 4:24 Wanting To Be a Coach 5:32 Playing Two Sports While Being a Collegiate Student 7:14 Biggest Lessons From College 8:57 Playing Professional Football for the Pittsburgh Passion 15:28 Main Philosophies with Coaching Volleyball 18:55 Recruiting 22:49 Favorite Part of Coaching 24:45 Roles Outside of Coaching at Penn State Beaver 30:46 Being Inducted into the Penn State Beaver Hall of Honor 32:46 The Main Mission of the USCAA & When it Started 38:46 Joining the USCAA Full-Time 40:40 Responsibilities as the Director of Championships and Development 42:00 Responsibilities as the Chief Operating Officer 45:43 The Size of the USCAA 46:53 Offseason Responsibilities 48:50 Planning Ahead 50:52 Responsibilities During the School Year 53:05 Championship Venues for 25-26 School Year 54:05 Making Each Championship Special for Every Athlete 1:00:41 Being the First Female COO in the History of the USCAA 1:01:48 Being a Positive Role for Women in the Sports Industry 1:05:37 The Future of College Athletics and the USCAA 1:07:09 Advice for Breaking into the Sports Industry 1:09:19 Favorite Memory in the Sports Industry

0:00 The Start of Getting into the Sports Industry 3:47 Being a Student-Athlete & Gaining Experience at Pitt–Greensburg 6:15 First Job Post-Graduation at West Liberty 8:33 Heading to Duquesne & Current Role 11:15 Covering Acrobatics & Tumbling 13:02 Building Media Relationships with Student-Athletes & Preparing Game Notes 15:26 A Game 86 Years in the Making! 17:03 Duquesne Men's Basketball 2024 Run in the NCAA Tournament 21:25 Differences Working in NCAA D-I, D-II, and D-III Athletic Departments 23:50 The Start of Getting Involved in Wiffle Ball 25:59 The National Wiffle League Association (NWLA) 27:03 Starting an NWLA Wiffle Ball Team 27:55 Previewing the 2025 NWLA National Tournament 29:34 How Wiffle Ball Has Grown 30:52 The Rules of the Game for the Tournament 34:24 Advice for Breaking into the Sports Industry 35:19 Favorite Memory in the Sports Industry

0:00 Growing Up in the Sports Industry 4:15 Switching to Broadcasting & Getting Into the Industry 8:24 Working in Local TV 12:32 Working in Sports Radio 18:03 Moving Around 20:15 Working for the Southland Conference 24:52 Building a Freelance Portfolio 26:53 Favorite Teams To Broadcast 29:22 Calling the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament 31:33 Having the Right Emotions On The Air 33:13 Calling the CUSA Golf & Bowling Championships 37:53 Calling Various Sports 40:06 Differences Preparing for Play-By-Play, Analyst, and Sideline Reporting 44:46 Favorite Bowl Games 49:35 Freelancing While Having a Full-Time Job 51:54 Balancing Family Life with Career 1:00:04 How Hannah Has Inspired Chris 1:03:05 "To Think I Did All That" 1:06:21 Favorite Memory in the Sports Industry

0:00 The Start of Wanting to Be a Sportscaster 4:06 The Beginning of Watching the Devils 7:10 Listening to Guys such as Mike "Doc" Emrick 9:38 Favorite Devils Stanley Cup Final Run 15:04 Inspiration to Begin Devils State of Mind 18:44 Growing the Podcast 20:43 Favorite Guests 23:45 Preparing for the Podcast 25:53 Dream Guests 27:00 Juggling Different Roles as a Sportscaster 29:15 Keys to Running Social Media for a Sports Team 31:12 Advice for Breaking Into the Sports Industry 33:18 Favorite Memory in the Sports Industry

0:00 Growing Up in Nascar 5:54 Valuable Lessons from the Race Track 7:26 Going to High Point 10:54 Calling Races for MRN 14:04 Joining & Working for Fox Sports 20:32 Staring Mach10 Digital 24:15 Getting Back to Play-By-Play 26:22 Juggling Broadcasting for Various Schools and Sports 29:43 Using Social Media to Promote Career 34:26 Advice for Breaking Into the Sports Industry 39:19 Favorite Memory in the Sports Industry

0:00 The Start of Wanting to Be a Sportscaster 1:53 Kansas State 3:12 Breaking Into the Industry After College 4:54 Returning to Kansas for First Sportscasting Job 7:10 Moving Back to San Diego 9:29 "The WANT to Work There!" 10:55 Favorite Sportscasting Moments 12:40 Preparing to do Play-By-Play and Radio Show 13:51 How STAA Began 16:32 Expanding STAA 20:05 Marketing STAA Nationwide 22:05 Seeing STAA Alumni Thrive in the Industry 25:32 The Jim Nantz Award 28:26 The Impact of STAA 31:30 Advice for Breaking Into the Sports Industry 32:55 Favorite Memory in the Sports Industry

0:00 The Start of Wanting to be a Sportscaster 3:35 Breaking Into the Industry After College 7:44 Valuable Lessons from the Early Days 9:24 Joining the Home Shopping Network 15:25 Preparing for Games 22:09 Working with Different Analysts 27:41 Balancing Family Life with Career 31:18 Beginnings of the Break-In & Break-Through Cohort 34:58 The impact of the cohort 37:30 richhollenberg.com 39:05 Favorite Memory in the Sports Industry

0:00 The Start of Wanting to be a Sportscaster 6:01 Putting a Cassette Tape Together 8:24 The Jump to AVC Communications 13:22 Calling College Sports for Muskingum 16:10 How the Opportunity Arose at Bucknell 20:31 From 2000 On: A Career at Bucknell! 21:36 Most Memorable Bison Games to Call 26:03 Favorite Away Basketball Arena 28:01 BINGO! 33:39 Seeing Bison Players Go to the Big Leagues 35:58 How Broadcasting Has Evolved at Bucknell 40:40 Advice for Breaking Into the Sports Industry 43:28 Favorite Memory in the Sports Industry