Ross Dellenger, Yahoo senior college football reporter
episode
Breaking In with Kevin Fishbain: A Sports Media Podcast
46 min
3 speakers
5 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hey, everyone. Welcome to Breaking In with Kevin Fishbane, brought to you by the National Sports Media Association. This is the podcast that tells the origin stories of your favorite sports media personalities. It's episode 66, and my guest is Ross Dellinger, senior college football reporter for Yahoo and the NSMA National Sports Writer of the Year. an authority on the business and politics of college football, Ross's climb to being a national writer and voice in the sport started at the Sun-Herald in Biloxi, Ross's hometown paper, with a story about a chess club. You'll hear about Ross's internships, his time writing at Mississippi State, the news stories he covered in Mississippi working for the AP, his first job covering college sports in Decatur, Georgia, and how he eventually landed at the Clarion Ledger, the newspaper he had set his sights on for years.
Last week in Greensboro, I saw Ross accept his National Sportswriter of the Year award, and he said he even took a call from a source in the ballroom that night. You'll hear about how important those relationships are and what it was like combining with his wife on a story that reached the highest levels of LSU. Before we get to Ross, a reminder of recent episodes. Last week was Sean McDonough, the NSMA Nationals Broadcaster of the Year. Such a fun conversation with such a distinct voice in sports broadcasting. Prior to Sean was Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. If this show has been of help to anyone trying to get started in sports media, go ahead and let us know in an Apple review. It helps the show grow.
All right, here's how Ross Dellinger broke in. Ross Dellinger, senior college football reporter at Yahoo Sports and the NSMA Sports Writer of the Year. Ross, we start this podcast the way beginning. When did the idea of being a sports writer first pop in your mind?
Well, my dad was a high school football coach, so I grew up around sports and football and high school football and college football. And... You know, I tried to play it. It didn't work out very well. I couldn't catch. I couldn't run. And I was 145 pounds, 6'2", 145 pounds. So that didn't work out. So I just kind of was around it a lot. And I started to keep sort of stats. And that led to me... writing for the local, like writing game recaps for the local weekly paper in Biloxi, Mississippi. And that just led me to, you know, uh, keep going with it. You know, um, it just sort of, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing. I enjoyed the statistics part of it. Um, you know, and then I learned a lot later, obviously there was more to it from just the games and, and, um,
That's obviously evolved. I mean, now I feel like games coverage is last on my list of things that I do. But that's kind of how I broke into it to begin with. I was in high school then. It was high school. It started like my junior, senior year of high school.
Your resume is really fascinating to see kind of all the different spots you've been at that have led you to where you're at today. And actually, the first byline I found of yours, I believe you might have been sophomore in college. It's at the Sun Herald, which I believe was your hometown paper, correct? in Biloxi, and the headline here is July 9, 2004, A Pastime Fit for a King, and it's a story about a chess club. And I'll read the lead for you just in case you forgot it. You don't need a television set or a computer screen. You don't need a controller, and there are no buttons. There are no wires, and there is no sound. In fact, you don't even need electricity. All that's required is a 64-square board and 32 pieces and, of course, two worthy opponents who are always strategically contemplating the next move.
And then you get into Ray King is the subject. That's a pretty good lead for a college kid. Was this a summer internship at the hometown paper?
That was the... No, not really. I think it was just sort of like a part-time thing. I would just pick up... story here and there i i didn't um when i was my f after my freshman year and after my sophomore year of college i didn't really have an internship um one of those years i worked on like a fishing boat back home on the mississippi coast timbaluxi and
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:10–9:21
2
How did Ross Dellenger first become interested in sports writing?
9:21–20:27
3
What early writing experiences did Ross have at the Sun‑Herald in Biloxi?
20:27–33:26
4
How did Ross transition from college internships to his first full‑time newsroom job?
33:26–37:24
5
What lessons did Ross learn while working as a news reporter for the Associated Press?
37:24–46:01
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Breaking In with Kevin Fishbain: A Sports Media Podcast
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Brittany Ghiroli, senior MLB writer at The Athletic
Sean McDonough, ESPN play-by-play broadcaster