The big guy behind the microphone is about to become a legend.
He sits inside the broadcast booth atop Max Finley Stadium, minutes away from announcing the James Madison football program’s first national championship. Mike Schikman has anticipated this moment since high school typing class, back when he used to crank out play-by-play and impersonate Marv Albert.
Back then Schikman was a wannabe sportscaster. Now, Dec. 17, 2004, on a clear, 30-degree night in Chattanooga, Tenn., the longtime “Voice of the JMU Dukes” is about to hammer his stamp on a championship season.
| From the Author: When we were brainstorming ideas for a mass communication story to run in Curio, SMAD professor David Wendelken called WSVA's Mike Schikman an institution. Schikman has the unique ability to reach people, not just as a professional broadcaster, but also on a personal level. His story is one of connecting, be it with colleagues, listeners, adults, college students or kids, and he does it by being himself -- cracking jokes that blend his warm personality and sarcastic northeast humor. Mike's been around a lot of places and people. He once drove a cab for Billie Jean King. He went to college with Jerry Seinfeld. As a sportscaster, he's worked with people he calls tremendous individuals, guys like former Charlotte Hornets announcer Gary Sparber and WSVA broadcasters Bob McNeil, Jim Britt, Arnold Felscher, Homer Quann and Wip Robinson. Yes, in 28 years of broadcasting, Mike Schikman's seen a lot and done a lot, far more than we could ever fit in a four-page magazine spread. Here, we give this talkative broadcaster a chance to delve into his profession. The man behind the microphone has a lot more to say. |