Jim Gray Speaking at the SJMC Graduation

Oh how the times have changed.

Four years ago I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I had some ideas but none that I could legitimately say we’re in the works. Times have changed and so have I; it’s rather crazy to look at what’s all happened.

Let me first start with a story.

I’ve always talked about getting someone big in the sports broadcasting world that has graduated from Colorado to speak at our graduation. So the names of Rick Reilly, Chris Fowler and Jim Gray have always made their way to the front of our minds.

And on Tuesday after coming back from the Rockies game with some of my friends we were joking about have our commencement called ‘THE GRADUATION’ with Jim Gray speaking at it. (In pun of his interview with Lebron James proclaimed ‘The Decision’.) So I tweeted that out to all 118 of my followers. Half joke, but also half for real.

‘THE GRADUATION! for the SJMC at the University of Colorado.... We want Jim Gray to give our speech can we make it happen @espn @NBCSportsPR’

And the very next day I get an email from my internship coordinator at CBS. He said that I needed to come in and fill out some paperwork, and also that Mr. Jim Gray called the station looking for me.

I was excited and hesitant. I didn’t know if the guys at CBS were messing with me or if this was real. But I called the number they gave me, and left a message at the ‘Office of Jim Gray’. (Which was already the best moment of semester, and I was just talking to a machine.)

And today I received a call from the man himself. (Slightly surpassing the last high moment.) He was happy to come give the speech at our graduation commencement, and he was excited that I reached out to him to talk to him. We talked for about 20 minutes in casual conversation.

Coming into college I would have never thought this would ever happen to me, but today I talked on the phone with Jim Gray. And I can’t thank him enough. See you on May 10^th Jim Gray; I’ll be the one in the black robe and funny looking square hat.