Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman, hosts of "Waddle and Silvy" on ESPN 1000 Chicago
episode
Breaking In with Kevin Fishbain: A Sports Media Podcast
49 min
4 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
How did Tom Waddle transition from an NFL career to sports broadcasting?
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 70 in a special Chicago Radio Twofer. My guests are Tom Waddle and Mark Silverman, hosts of the Waddle & Sylvie Show on ESPN Radio 1000. They host the longest running sports show in town, first getting paired together in 2007. We get three origin stories in this episode. First, it's Tom Waddell, a star high school athlete who played college football at Boston College before his six-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears. You'll hear how he started doing radio shows while he still played and what led him to go the broadcast route when his career ended.
Then there's Sylvie, who had dreams of being in sports radio when he was a kid growing up in the Chicago suburbs. You'll hear about his time at Southern Illinois doing play-by-play before he got his first radio job in Iowa, then an opportunity to come back home and work for WGN. Then origin story number three, Waddle and Sylvie become teammates at ESPN 1000 and then co-hosts. You'll hear that as well. Before we get to Waddle and Sylvie, a reminder of recent episodes. Last week was Adam Schein, host on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio. Prior to Schein was Christine Brennan, columnist for USA Today. Be sure to head to nationalsportsmedia.org to learn more about our title sponsor, the NSMA, and give this podcast a follow on YouTube at youtube.com slash breakinginwithkevinfishpain.
All right. Here's how Tom Waddle and Mark Silverman broke it. Tom Waddle, Mark Silverman, Waddle and Sylvie on ESPN Radio in Chicago. You guys have interviewed so many legends in Chicago sports, and now you get to be interviewed on my podcast. So congratulations to you, to both of you.
19 years, and this is probably the best honor we've had. Yeah, no doubt. Thank you. I feel like we finally have made it now.
Yeah, well, you're behind Dion and Peggy, but what are you going to do? The two of them are, they came first in the pecking order.
And he's first, that's always. Of course.
We're going to start this podcast. I like to do a little newspapers.com research. We're starting September 10th, 1984. Headline, Passing In at Moeller. by Rick Harmon. Here's the lead here. In the past, molar teams haven't really been known for passing the ball, but the 1984 Crusaders will feature plenty of passing that's just fine with senior wingback Tom Waddell. Waddell caught a school record 85-yard touchdown pass. on Mueller's third possession and a 28-0 win over Christopher Columbus from Miami, Florida. The quote here from Tom Waddell, I'd sure rather catch the ball than block, Waddell said. Tommy, you remember that 85-yarder?
I do. And do you know who I beat on that particular route? chad johnson jimmy johnson's son wow because we were i don't know if you know this fish but we were we were a powerhouse at moore high school we played anaheim servite who that was the home of uh gosh who was the one of the backup quarterbacks for the cowboys for years i'll get that later uh we played erie prep Mark Stepnowski was the center for that team. We'd played anybody and everybody, but Christopher Columbus came up to play us at our home stadium, the Galbraith Field, and I remember it was early. I think it was pretty early in the game, but... Even back in high school, I wasn't known for getting deep on people. I was still possession receiver once and always.
But, yeah, silly to tell you, my memory sucks. Like, I don't remember yesterday. But there are certain things that I can latch on to and recall. And I do remember that particular game. And I do remember the 85-yard touchdown against Chad Johnson.
Yeah.
In your career, so you're a high school star, went on to Boston College and the Bears. We'll get to the start of your broadcast career, but at any point while you're at college or you're just starting your Bears career, did you think about broadcasting? At any point did that come into your head?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did Tom Waddle transition from an NFL career to sports broadcasting?
0:10–6:24
2
What early experiences shaped Mark Silverman’s path into radio and TV?
6:24–12:44
3
When and how did Tom Waddle and Mark Silverman first become co‑hosts at ESPN 1000?
12:44–18:32
4
What were the biggest challenges during the first months of their morning show?
18:32–23:49
5
What advice do Tom Waddle give former athletes about moving into broadcasting?
23:49–30:34
6
How does Mark Silverman prepare for each broadcast and why is preparation crucial?
30:34–36:25
7
What key lessons have they learned about connecting with listeners over 19 years?
36:25–43:01
8
What advice do they have for aspiring sports‑media professionals today?
43:01–49:51
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from Breaking In with Kevin Fishbain: A Sports Media Podcast
Mike Hall, Big Ten Network studio host
Adam Schein, host of "Schein on Sports" on SiriusXM
Christine Brennan, USA Today columnist and author of "On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports"
Brittany Ghiroli, senior MLB writer at The Athletic
Ross Dellenger, Yahoo senior college football reporter
Sean McDonough, ESPN play-by-play broadcaster