Spring Break
Shriver brings unique approach to announcer's booth, reaches out to students
Tristan Chan
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Sports
Watson believes that Shriver's passion for the game has distinguished him in the industry.
"What sets him apart from other announcers is that he knows the game and loves the game so much," Watson said.
Shriver's love for his work alludes to the fact that there is much more to his job as the Miami public service announcer than merely reading words from a script.
"It was Scott's idea to come in during the week to rehearse scripts days before the game," former Associate Athletic Director Mike Watson said. "He goes above and beyond to make sure what the public hears is perfect."
Shriver currently serves as the announcer for Miami football, men's and women's basketball and hockey, while occasionally filling in for baseball, softball, soccer and field hockey. The sport he holds closest to his heart, however, will always be women's volleyball. That is where he got his start.
During the 1985 season, Condit approached Shriver before one of the volleyball games and asked him to read the starting lineups.
"At the time his older sister Darcy was working with us playing the music and so I knew he had this great voice," Condit said. "We really just wanted to make it more professional and it turned out that we discovered his hidden talent."
Shriver recalls what it was like for him as he first started out on the unique job.
"At first I just thought, 'I don't think I can do that,'" Shriver said. "And hearing my voice fill all of Millet was really strange."
What Condit did not realize was that the brother-sister duo she was utilizing actually stretched back to their childhood.
"When I was in the fourth grade, Darcy and I had adjoining rooms and we would always play this game where she got to choose all of the music for our rooms, and I got to announce the song before it came on," Shriver said.
This may have been Shriver's first independent foray into the world of broadcast, but after graduating from Miami, he began teaching broadcast, radio and TV at Richmond Senior High. Believing that he needed more experience in the actual field of broadcast, Shriver then became a fill-in DJ at WOXY in Cincinnati.
"At first it was just reading a few introductions between songs, but it was the first time I got a chance to hear what my own voice sounded like on the air," Shriver said. "That's one thing that can really throw people off at the beginning, not being used to how they actually sound."
Shriver lives a modest life outside the arena, serving as a father of two sons and a seventh grade language arts teacher at Talawanda High School. He also dabbles in local theater productions but uses his theater experience in his announcing.
Fortunately for all fans of the creative public service announcer at Miami, Shriver is the ultimate fan of his occupation.
"I get paid to go to ball games," Shriver said. "I just hope they don't go find someone else in the stands at a Miami volleyball game someday and think, 'This guy could do a better job, let's give him a shot at reading the starting lineup.'"
"What sets him apart from other announcers is that he knows the game and loves the game so much," Watson said.
Shriver's love for his work alludes to the fact that there is much more to his job as the Miami public service announcer than merely reading words from a script.
"It was Scott's idea to come in during the week to rehearse scripts days before the game," former Associate Athletic Director Mike Watson said. "He goes above and beyond to make sure what the public hears is perfect."
Shriver currently serves as the announcer for Miami football, men's and women's basketball and hockey, while occasionally filling in for baseball, softball, soccer and field hockey. The sport he holds closest to his heart, however, will always be women's volleyball. That is where he got his start.
During the 1985 season, Condit approached Shriver before one of the volleyball games and asked him to read the starting lineups.
"At the time his older sister Darcy was working with us playing the music and so I knew he had this great voice," Condit said. "We really just wanted to make it more professional and it turned out that we discovered his hidden talent."
Shriver recalls what it was like for him as he first started out on the unique job.
"At first I just thought, 'I don't think I can do that,'" Shriver said. "And hearing my voice fill all of Millet was really strange."
What Condit did not realize was that the brother-sister duo she was utilizing actually stretched back to their childhood.
"When I was in the fourth grade, Darcy and I had adjoining rooms and we would always play this game where she got to choose all of the music for our rooms, and I got to announce the song before it came on," Shriver said.
This may have been Shriver's first independent foray into the world of broadcast, but after graduating from Miami, he began teaching broadcast, radio and TV at Richmond Senior High. Believing that he needed more experience in the actual field of broadcast, Shriver then became a fill-in DJ at WOXY in Cincinnati.
"At first it was just reading a few introductions between songs, but it was the first time I got a chance to hear what my own voice sounded like on the air," Shriver said. "That's one thing that can really throw people off at the beginning, not being used to how they actually sound."
Shriver lives a modest life outside the arena, serving as a father of two sons and a seventh grade language arts teacher at Talawanda High School. He also dabbles in local theater productions but uses his theater experience in his announcing.
Fortunately for all fans of the creative public service announcer at Miami, Shriver is the ultimate fan of his occupation.
"I get paid to go to ball games," Shriver said. "I just hope they don't go find someone else in the stands at a Miami volleyball game someday and think, 'This guy could do a better job, let's give him a shot at reading the starting lineup.'"
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