Erik Sean reflects on his tenure as the radio voice of the Redhawks

Q: You’ve been the radio voice of the SEMO Redhawks since 2000, calling football, basketball and baseball games for River Radio. What are some of your favorite memories from calling games over the last 20-plus years?

It’s always the most enjoyable to broadcast championships. SEMO football has been on quite a run lately. SEMO men’s basketball’s improbable title run through the OVC Tournament is certainly one of the highlights. The Redhawks women’s basketball squad’s OVC Championship was amazing. They needed a beater to win that one. And calling eight SEMO baseball championships were as much fun as anything.

Q: What does your pre-game preparation look like for broadcasting a Redhawks game?

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. That’s my motto. I believe you owe it to the listener to do as much preparation for a broadcast as possible. I prepare bios for each player for both teams in all three sports. You need info for any player that may compete on a certain day. Football takes the most work, compiling depth charts and facts and figures. It’s a lot of hours, but you owe it to the listeners to be as thorough as possible.

Q: You’ve worked with various color analysts. Can you talk about your broadcast partners over the years?

Missouri Sports Hall of Famer Jess Bolen is one of my favorite people on the planet. I have learned so much getting to broadcast with him. He’s so knowledgeable and can help the listener understand what is taking place and break down the game. SEMO Hall of Famer Rick Weiser is a master when it comes to broadcasting football. He’s seen everything, and he’s been a football official on Friday night football for decades. So he can always give the listener that point of view as well. I’m so blessed to have worked with these two tremendous gentlemen.

Q: You’ve covered SEMO football long enough to see both the lean years and some of the best years in program history. How has this program developed over the years, and what do you expect heading into 2023?

The SEMO football program’s rise to national prominence has been so amazing to watch. Coach Tuke has been a miracle worker. He’s such a winner. He thinks this year’s team is the best roster he’s ever had. I expect this year to be a banner year for the Redhawks if they stay healthy, which is always a key.

Q: When half of Houck Field was condemned in 2021, including the press box, how did that impact your broadcasts?

When the press box was torn down, it’s forced us to broadcast remotely from the communications building at Rose Theatre. We broadcast by watching screens with camera angles from our outstanding ESPN+ crew. I have eight different cameras at our disposal, but it’s much different than being at the stadium. Hopefully in a short time we will get a press box built and we can go back to Houck Stadium.

Q: And with the re-opening of the south grandstand and future phases of renovations on the way, what are you most excited about?

Selfishly, I’m most excited about the building of a new press box, but the new upgrades are tremendous, the fan experience will be so improved, and it will help so much in recruiting for the football and women’s soccer teams. It’s an exciting time right now for SEMO Athletics, and I’m proud to be a small part of it. I have the best job, sometimes I feel like I’m stealing money. Our company River Radio is absolutely the best.