More from The Q&A: Toby Rowland
I’m sure there’s been someone interviewed for The Q&A who’s been more fun than Toby Rowland, but I really can’t think who that would be.
He was a blast, and while he is well-known as a sportscaster at KWTV-9, a sports talk show host on KREF-AM 1400 and the new sideline reporter for Oklahoma football radio broadcasts, there is something about Rowland’s past that not many people know.
Jenni Carlson: Little known fact about you …
Toby Rowland: You did research?
JC: Well, I talked to Berry, so blame him if you want, but your picture is on the most famous wall in all of high school sports.
TR: My high school gymnasium is the largest high school gymnasium in the world. New Castle High School … in Indiana seats over 10,000 people. It’s one of the most historic gyms in Indiana. So, my picture is on the wall of fame as a tennis player. I am up there in short tennis shorts and way too much hair because my tennis team won regionals one year. A lot of people don’t know I have an Andre Agassi side to me.
JC: Could some sort of tennis-related job be far off?
TR: You think John Roddick might hire me at some point? That would be exciting. See, now, OU fans are like, “Great, we’ve hired a fourth-string SNU point guard who played tennis in high school. What are we doing?” (Laughs.)
JC: Seriously, though, what’s bigger — OU football or Indiana basketball?
TR: That is a great comparison. I’d say they’re pretty even. That’s about as straight down the middle as you can get. The mania over OU football and the mania over IU basketball are pretty comparable.
JC: As the sideline reporter for OU football games, what are you hoping to bring to the radio listeners?
TR: What I’m hoping for most is to give people a reason to turn down their TV. I think we have an opportunity, especially on the sidelines to bring them information that perhaps TV can’t provide. Injury information. Communication between coaches and players. At least the stuff that you’re allowed to report on. Television has sideline reporters, but a lot of times, they’re just setting up packages or maybe some special features. We’re a little more in the game. They can come to me as often as they want.
JC: With everything that is going on down there, how challenging is it doing that job on the sideline?
TR: I tell you the trickiest part right now … is what you’re allowed to report injury-wise. With all the new HIPAA rules, the doctors can’t necessarily tell you what’s wrong with the players. That’s something I’m going to have to learn leading up to the season.
JC: What’s going to be more chaotic — two minutes before “The Blitz” or two minutes before kickoff?
TR: Two minutes to “The Blitz,” I think. Two minutes to kick, that’s Bob and Merv’s time. Hopefully I have all my ducks in a row and we’re just waiting for kickoff. Two minutes to “The Blitz” looks a little bit like the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Everybody flying around and running and throwing things — it can be a fun two minutes before “The Blitz” starts.
JC: This is going to sound like a bad journalism class question, but with all the things you do, do you have a favorite?
TR: I’m going to cop out here on you a little bit. Each is a world of fun in their own different way. If I didn’t have one of them, I’d really miss it. I often think, “If I had to pick one, which one would I pick?” That’s a hard question because the TV gig is always what I dreamed of doing. To get to deliver the sports to that many people … is such a great honor. And at the same time, what sports radio provides is an opportunity to give some opinion, which I don’t necessarily get on the television side of things. If I didn’t have that … I’d probably drive my friends crazy if I didn’t have that three and a half hours every day to get to share my opinions on everything. And this new thing, this is going to be a hoot. This is going to be like candy. To be on the sidelines and follow around this team is going to be an honor.
JC: So, you like all your gigs.
TR: I love them all. I’m truly blessed. I’m not just saying that because we’re doing an interview. I pinch myself and keep thinking sooner or later somebody’s going to be on to me and say, “Wait a second. He’s just a fourth-string point guard from Southern Nazarene. Why are we allowing him to have so much fun in his job?” (Laughs.)
JC: Just remember, this is a city where a third-string sportscaster is now the mayor.
TR: (Laughs.) That’s my next goal. I’m going to run for office. I’m going to do all three of these jobs, and then I’m going to try to get Mick Cornett out of his office. (Laughs.)
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What I want to know is more about Sam Presti. Was he born middle=class,rich or poor? Is he religious? Conservative? Engaged? Bought a house in OKC? How big a Celtics fan
was he? What nice or not nice things would he say about Seattle? What is his biggest surprise about OKC? Does he like it hot?