Story by Steph Stanislao
Photos by J. Alan Paul
Whether you tune into NDSU game day from you home television, listen while driving in the car or cheer on the Bison from the stands at the Fargodome, chances are you have come across several of the following familiar faces. These 13 gentleman are responsible for bringing you game day coverage every Saturday, and in some rare cases Friday, during football season. They keep the crowd on their feet and NDSU fans everywhere up-to-date and excited about the stellar football games played throughout the season.
Dan Michaels
Signature statement: “How ’bout that Bison Defense” and “That’s another Bison first down.”
Did ya know? He played football (Center) at Valley City State.
What working with the Bison means to him: “It means a great great deal. I’m very honored to have been chosen to be the P.A. announcer for North Dakota State Athletics. I cherish the position. I’ve been in the front row for a lot of wonderful athletic endeavors at North Dakota State, and I’ve loved every second of it.”
Steve Walker
KFGO
Years of experience: First year of broadcasting.
Did ya know? His wife played basketball for the Bison.
What working with the Bison means to him: “It’s a whole different way of watching the game. It’s a little bit of a different perspective from being a former player, to being a fan, and now doing this. It’s a great way to stay involved with the University.”
Scott Miller
KFGO
Signature statement: “My-oh-my!”
Years of experience: 32 years in broadcasting.
Did ya know? Miller is also the voice of the FM RedHawks.
What working with the Bison means to him: “I really enjoy all the relationships I’ve developed with all the coaches and the players, first and foremost. From Craig Bohl with the football team and all of his assistants, to Saul Phillips the basketball coach and Carolynn DeHoff and Amy Ruley before her — they’re great people to work with. It makes it just a pleasure. And the fact that NDSU is a hidden gem when it comes to college athletics and the high level at which they compete. So to be around a football team that has won a national championship and is competing for another, to be around a basketball team who when to an NCAA Tournament in 2009, and then all the other people that I deal with, not just football or basketball on a regular basis, it’s a real joy.”
Kevin Feeney
KVLY/North Dakota Sports Network
Years of experience: Five years as an Analyst.
Did ya know? Feeney is now the head coach at Moorhead High School.
What working with the Bison means to him: “I always look at this part of my experience, it’s a way for me to stay close to Bison football. I coach high school football, and certainly put in a lot of effort and time into that. But, this allows me on Saturday’s to kind of step away from my regular job and just immerse myself into, what I consider, the highlights that I have ever gone through while being a Bison. I was roommates with the offensive coordinator, which gives me a reason to stay in real good touch with him and just stay close to the program in general.”
Brian Shawn
KVLY/North Dakota Sports Network
Signature statement: “He’s in for another Bison touchdown!”
Years of experience: Six years with KVLY, but this is his first year doing play-by-play for the Bison.
Did ya know? He won the intramural tennis championship while in college.
What working with the Bison means to him: “It’s really an exciting time. I love working with the people at NDSU. They’re all so excited and they take so much pride in what they do. And, I think it just ups the ante for everybody else to take pride in what they do. So, I think that gas that has been the biggest part for me is when you come in and you have a program that’s already at the top, and you’ve got to raise your game to that level. When we decided to televise every game this year, we said,‘You know what? We need to do this, and do this the right way.’ We’ve taken it to a new level and we now need it to keep going up.”
Jeremy Jorgenson
NDSU Athletics
Years of experience: Six years at NDSU but in the media business for 20 years.
Did ya know? He played football for Concordia in Moorhead.
What working with the Bison means to him: “It means a lot to be part of a classy, winning program that does it the right way. I think just to work for a group that does it the right way. Gene Taylor is a great boss, so it means a lot to work for a group that does it the right way.”
Jeff Kolpack
The Forum
Years of experience: 22 years with The Forum.
Did ya know? He played a couple of years of college baseball (second base) at NDSU.
What working with the Bison means to him: “Well there’s a lot of stuff happening out there right now. I always wanted to cover Division I football, that was kind of my goal. And when I got here twenty-whatever years ago, and in a way it came to me when they went Division I, so I thought that aspect was pretty cool. There’s just a lot of captivating stories out there to me. I think when people look back in history, and look at the last 10 years, they’ll go, ‘Wow. Look at the shake-up that happened.’ I wrote about the Division II move to Division I, and there was a lot of stuff there… It was fun to be a part of it and the next thing you know you’re in Frisco, Texas and it happened so fast.
Jamal Spencer
KVLY/North Dakota Sports Network
Years of experience: Six.
Did ya know? He is originally from the Detroit area and went to Michigan State.
What working with the Bison means to him: “It means a lot, because I know how important NDSU and Bison Athletics are to this community. And to be a part of that is huge for me, just because it allows me to share something with people who have been doing it for years and years. I’ve only been here for a year and a half, but to be able to share this experience is very important to me.”
Dom Izzo
WDAY
Years of experience: Six years with WDAY.
Did ya know? He is originally from the New York area and is a New York Mets and Jets fan.
What working with the Bison means to him: “It’s pretty cool. Not knowing anything about it, before I moved out here from New York, and knowing there weren’t any professional sports teams. The following year it was like a professional sports team. To be part of it and know that there are so many people that are passionate about it, that’s awesome to me. It’s really appealing. It makes the job fun every day.”
Ryan Gellner
KFGO
Signature statement: “…and now you’re up to date with the Bison.”
Did ya know? His sister is Marnie Gellner from Fox Sports North.
What working with the Bison means to him: “It’s been an unbelievable run, which makes my job so much easier. It just makes things so much easier, when the Bison are the highlight of the town. As far as being a part of it, it’s been a really fun ride. I made a lot of connections that I would have never made had it not been for this job. So those contacts are probably the things that I’ll hold on to. The Gene Taylor’s, some of the former players… the Matt Voigtlander’s the Jon Pike’s that you get to call friends. It’s pretty cool to be part of the ride.”
Norm Bell
KVLY/North Dakota Sports Network
Years of experience: 12 years covering NDSU.
Did ya know? He’s a former Division I College offensive lineman for Tulane University in New Orleans.
What working with the Bison means to him: “You know, being in that atmosphere really brings me back to being in college. I am really impressed with the way they operate. They really approach things with the attitude of a champion, and when you have that attitude the championships will follow. I am pleased to be a part of that.
Eric Peterson
The Forum
Years of experience: 16-years.
Did ya know? Peterson was on a national slow pitch softball team.
What working with the Bison means to him: “You know, mostly when I help, I help out with football, because my other beats are Concordia and MSUM. Just the way the football team has been the last couple of years, it’s been interesting to see them go through all their playoff runs and going to Frisco last year. It’s coverage experience—it’s a neat experience to kind of see all that stuff. And just to see how the community has really kind of gotten behind it, and the fan reaction that they get at games.”
Jack Michaels
Radio Fargo-Moorhead
Years of experience: Twenty-two.
Did ya know? He played baseball (first base) for NDSU.
What working with the Bison means to him: “It’s a lot. It’s being part of excellence. It’s being part of an institution that’s full of pride, a lot of fun. That’s what it is…it’s striving to be the best.”
