Media Monday — Mitch Strohman
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”@NAUAthletics”]In today’s #MediaMonday, we’re sharing some Northern Arizona University Lumberjack Love[/inlinetweet].
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”@NAUtv @NAUAthletics #MediaMonday”]@mitchstrohman is in his 15th season as the “voice of the Lumberjacks”[/inlinetweet] for football and men’s basketball on the Lumberjack Television/Radio Network and also handles play-by-play duties for selected women’s basketball, soccer and volleyball games.
That’s not all, Mitch is also the host of the monthly show produced by NAU-TV, “The Score,” which airs on Fox Sports Arizona, Fox College Sports and Suddenlink Flagstaff Cable, as well as other popular radio and TV shows including “Lumberjack Live” and “What’s Cooking With Mitch.”
His resume features dozens of news and sports broadcasting awards.
I first met Mitch when he moved to Flagstaff in the late ‘80s and have had the chance to co-host with him during on-air pledge drives on KAET Channel Eight (PBS) in Phoenix – where he has volunteered for the past 21 years!
So Mitch, time to share:
I’ve been involved with — and in — the media since graduating from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota in 1983.
It wasn’t until 1988 when I was first hired as news/sports director at KAFF FM-AM that I began covering NAU sports. Four years later I moved to Phoenix to work at KFYI-AM before returning to Flagstaff for good a couple years later.
Once back in Flagstaff, in addition to my work at KAFF Radio and KNAZ-TV, I held positions as a part-time instructor in NAU’s School of Communication, ran a successful candidate’s campaign for the Arizona Senate, was government affairs director for the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce and was the public information officer for the Flagstaff Unified School District.
During my tenure as the voice of the Lumberjacks, I’ve had the chance to call several milestone games in NAU history, including:
- The first-ever broadcasts of NAU sports on Fox Sports Arizona and Fox College Sports;
- The Lumberjacks’ first ever NCAA Tournament appearance against Cincinnati in 1998;
- Women’s basketball’s first ever NCAA Tournament game against Baylor in 2006;
- The first ever I-AA football playoff appearance against Furman in 1996;
- Men’s NIT games against Arkansas in 1997 and Delaware State in 2006;
- The men’s first ever game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2011;
- The team’s historic run to the CIT championship Game in 2014;
- And more than two dozen men’s and women’s Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournament games.
Overall, I’ve called nearly 800 Lumberjack football, basketball, volleyball and soccer games and more than 100 Flagstaff area high school football and basketball games.
Through my company, MAS Communications, which provides voice talent, talk shows, news and sports anchoring and event emceeing, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on dozens of local non-profit boards emcee hundreds of events around the state from parades to fundraisers, from fashion shows to major candidate debates. I’ve even had the opportunity to introduce Jay Leno to a packed house in the Walkup Skydome!
My wife Ana, an NAU graduate, and I have two children: son Zach (22) and daughter Catalina (16). We love the outdoors, whether it’s hiking, mountain biking or just enjoying all of what Arizona has to offer.
