#MediaMonday – Mark McClune
Today’s #MediaMonday comes to us from a desk I sat at many years ago. Mark McClune is a sports anchor/reporter at t KPHO-TV, CBS 5 and KTVK-TV Channel 3. He’s been in the Valley since 2006, when he joined FOX Sports Arizona. He’s called play-by-play for everything from Pac-12 sporting events to local track meets. He’s also been the sideline reporter for the D’backs, Suns, Cardinals, Coyotes, ASU, U of A, Mercury and Rattlers telecasts. His work has earned him five Emmy Awards over a four-year span.
Mark, time to share:
I spent my elementary school years outside of Dallas in Plano, Texas. My brother and I would race into the house after church and turn on the Tom Landry Show & NFL Today. I wanted to be Brent Musburger.
After graduating from the University of Texas, I started my career covering the Longhorns for News 8 in Austin. I was then the sports director at KTVL-TV in Medford, Ore., and also spent three years at KREM-TV in Spokane, Wash., before moving to Phoenix.
My athletic career ended after high school but I knew I wanted to stay connected to sports. I figured I would major in business at UT, but on a dare I went over to try out for the campus TV station. After one live TV appearance I was hooked. I was able to intern at CNNSI and then at News 8 Austin. My job was to shoot video of every Longhorns sporting event. They even paid me! I put together a resume tape and got my first job in Medford.
Then to get a job in Phoenix I chased a guy up an elevator. That story is for the book!
I’ve had a chance to cover some amazing things — where do I start? There are so many great stories every day. The best ones always come from the most unlikely places. In the last year we’ve met a linebacker who plays the saxophone at halftime, a bench player who’s “highlight tape” went viral, and Marcos de Niza’s kicker Krysten Muir, the Padres first female football player. I love telling those stories. I’ve also been very fortunate to be front and center for some big moments. Among them:
- I moved to Houston in junior high and became a big Astros fan. On the day the Astros retired Craig Biggio’s jersey, I got to interview him during the D-backs telecast.
- I got to be on the field when the Cardinals won the NFC Championship. Fans were crying, Kurt Warner climbed into the stands to give Brenda a kiss. The Cardinals could win the Super Bowl but I’m not sure it would match the raw emotion of that moment.
- It’s a tie between the Suns 2010 Western Conference Finals run and the Coyotes run in 2012. I have to give the Coyotes a slight edge because of Ray Whitney’s game winning goal in overtime in Game One vs. Nashville. It felt like the arena was shaking.
- The D-backs playoff runs in 2007 and 2011 were magical. There are so many great memories from those seasons but Aug. 11, 2011 was the wildest finish I’ve ever seen. Rookie Paul Goldschmidt hit a dramatic home run to send the game into extra innings. The ball bounced off a beam in left field and the sound reverberated through the stadium for another 20 seconds. Then Chris Young hit a walk-off in extra innings. I still can’t believe they won that game.
- I was very fortunate and got to call the Arizona Rattlers winning the 2012 Conference Championship. Play-by-play is a passion and it was my first chance to work a title game.
I think Phoenix gets a bad rap for being a sleepy sports market. The games I just described show how great of sports town this is. High school sports, especially football, are exploding in the Valley. We’re a big game sports town and can’t wait for this year’s Final Four in Glendale.
For anyone looking to break into the business, it’s crazy, completely unpredictable and changing by the second. I wouldn’t have it any other way! Thanks for letting me share some memories.
You can follow me on Twitter at @MarkMcClune and on Facebook.
