NOTHING BETTER THAN FRIDAY NIGHTS AND GRIDIRON GLORY

4 years, 60 episodes, hundreds of hours. That's how much time I put into it. Late nights and early morning. Cold Opens and Week Previews. Intros and Tags. Man, hard to believe that's it's all over.

This was a post that I had planned to write prior to the season finale of GG but I could never get myself to sit down and write it. The main reason was because I never had time since I was working on the finale every night. The other reason was that I didn't wanna leave the final part of the script unwritten. But now, I have come to the end, had time to reflect and man, what a ride it has been.

I mean, seriously, I came into freshman year really having no clue what the show was even about. I was pretty much talked into it by a couple friends who had heard about it. Since I was willing to try anything that did not involve me being a loner in my dorm room on my first Friday night, I followed them to the meeting, and well, the rest is history.

I had zero aspirations and hopes of becoming host. It was Luke, my "tell-it-like-it-is" roomie who kept telling me I'd get the host gig. I was dead sure they would choose anyone but me, including Luke himself. But after he didn't make the first cut and I did, I was thinking more and more about the idea. Still not sure, the producer and director of the show told me to take it seriously...and I did to the best of my ability. After an interview and some days and nights, the call came. I would be the next host. Yikes.

Junior Year flew by. Mistakes began the year and at that time, I immediately felt like I had made a mistake. I felt like I (and others) was in way over my head. I wasn't ready for this spotlight. I needed another year of seasoning. But as the year went on, things got better. And when I mean better, I mean better. From a week 2 meltdown to a Week 10 Emmy-Award winning show.

And then, the final year. I told myself from the start that on each show, I had to bring my best because well, there's no lookin back now. There was no more buffer zone of "next year". The year began good, got rocky at times, but like the year before, rebounded nicely and ended the way I wanted it too...with the credits and everyone who helped make the show a success around me celebrating what a great year it was.

For those of you reading this who have never been around our TV program, I can't even begin to tell you how much this show meant to me. It's not just a show we do for fun. It's a show that gets us ready for the real world. It's a show that lets us be creative. It's a show that requires a lot of work, day and night. It's a show that you put your whole heart into. It's a show that takes cooperation from 20-30 people. It's a show that pushes the limits of student productions. And above all, it's a show that gives this area coverage they would never get without us.

I have made great friends through this show. I have made great strides in my young broadcasting career because of this show. But if there's one thing I will miss about being a part of GG, it will be this community. The people that turned us on every Friday night at 11:30 and put their faith in us to show them highlights and scores from the area. The people that watched to see themselves on TV. Heck, even the people that tuned in just tee their sons, grandsons and nephews, even for just one play. It is those people and their commitment to our show that I will miss the most. I always said every time we put on a bad show, not only did we disappoint ourselves, but we disappointed an entire region. That's a lot of pressure, but each week, we took that pressure head on and worked hard to make the best show possible. That's why this show is so special.

So now, it's over. 4 years of giving up my Friday nights for SE Ohio football. Sounds funny (and even pathetic) to the casual OU student but trust me, it's so much more. I have met some great people through this show. Some are gone (Terrence, Evan, Killer, etc...), some are saying goodbye with me (Tom, Andy, Suz, etc...) and others have just begun (GDizzle, JFlan, Jake, etc...). Everyone of them have made some sort of impact on my life because of their work on the show and for that, I am forever grateful. It's funny cuz last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I went to a movie starting at 9:50pm. I remember turning to my dad and saying "Man, I feel like I have a show to do". Unfortunately though, the show is no more. But no matter where I go from here in my career, I will always remember one thing: There's nothing better than Friday Nights and Gridiron Glory.