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If the number 13 is associated with something you are doing, it’s often not a good omen. But, Gridiron Glory Season 13 Host Blake Brodie says he felt lucky to be one of the leaders of the show in 2011.

“I did my first two years of college at Ohio State. I thought I wanted the big school atmosphere,” said Brodie. “But I had friends at 91̽�� who knew I was interested in pursuing sports broadcast journalism, and they told me about WOUB and Gridiron Glory. After my second year at OSU, I realized I was at the wrong school for what I wanted to do and transferred. So, becoming the host of Gridiron was a dream come true.”

As soon as Brodie arrived in Athens, he got involved with Gridiron. He helped in any way he could. Brodie eventually became the West Virginia beat reporter and then during his senior year, he was named host.

“I wanted to become host from the first time I ever stepped in that studio and saw Garrett Downing behind the desk. I knew I wanted to do that,” said Brodie.

But what Brodie didn’t realize is that he’d have a bigger leadership role than many hosts who had come before him.

“Season 13 of Gridiron was the first year that The Bobcat Sports Showcase took on its new form and many of the seasoned, senior level reporters decided to do that show in the fall instead of Gridiron because they wanted the opportunity to cover OHIO football, which I understood,” said Brodie. “But it was nerve-racking for me because there were a lot of fresh faces working on Gridiron who didn’t have the years of experience. I didn’t want the quality of the show to suffer the year that I was hosting. So, I took a big mentoring role and gave the young reporters a lot of feedback. What I found was it was so awesome because I could see noticeable improvement through the course of the season. I loved everything about that season. It was so cool to see young reporters getting better as the season went along.”

After graduation, Brodie got a job as a weekend sports anchor/reporter at a TV station in Lubbock, Texas. It’s a job he loved for four years. But then life happened.

“I got married and our first baby was on the way and my priorities changed,” said Brodie. “The broadcast sports dream suddenly wasn’t as important anymore. I realized I’d be gone on the weekends and in the evenings, and I wondered how good of a dad and husband I could be.”

Brodie decided to get out of television sports and move into sales. He first became a sales representative at his station in Lubbock, selling TV and digital advertising. Then eventually he moved into commercial real estate.

“But I still treasure my time at WOUB on Gridiron. I mean we won an Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) College Student Production Award,” said Brodie. “I’m so proud of WOUB and all the students that are keeping the show going. I know how much that show impacts the local communities to see their local teams on TV. Gridiron has such a big time feel to it. It’s a great product. Gridiron is bigger than the people that are on it. It’s become its own enterprise.”

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