Dan Shulman, BSc'89

ESPN and ESPN Radio, Play by Play Announcer

When Dan Shulman decided to take up broadcasting as an extracurricular activity at Western in 1985, he never dreamed that one day he would be broadcasting Major League Baseball and college basketball to millions on ESPN the most powerful sports network in the world." In frosh week of my first year, I was looking for something extra to do. I really wanted to write for The Gazette, but there was a huge lineup to get in. So I thought I would try the radio station," recounts Shulman.

The smooth-voiced Toronto native soon found himself doing play-by-play for the university's basketball, football, and hockey teams. But ironically during his time at university, he never seriously considered a career in broadcasting. "It was always just a fun thing to do," says Shulman, who was enrolled in the actuarial science program. "In my fourth year, I actually stopped broadcasting to concentrate on my studies."

When he graduated in 1989, Shulman landed a job in his field, working as an actuary for nearly a year. He soon discovered that he didn't enjoy actuarial work, so he began working as an anchor for Barrie, Ontario radio station CKBB on weekends. When he was offered a full-time position with the station in 1990, he quit his job as an actuary for good.

In February 2012, Dan Shulman was named National Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in the US.

The first big break of his career would come when he accepted a position at Toronto's all-sports radio station "The Fan" in 1992. Within a year, he was moved into The Fan's coveted afternoon drive slot. "You could see that he was going to be a star," says Nelson Millman, program director (then assistant program director) with The Fan. " He was a smart guy who had a great knowledge and love of sports. And he was developing his own distinct style."

While at The Fan, he also hosted a number of baseball talk shows including "Baseball Today," "Major League Report," and "Jays Talk." This baseball niche would help him land the job as play-by-play man for Blue Jay telecasts on The Sports Network (TSN) (one of Canada's leading all-sports TV stations) in 1995 a position that he calls "the biggest break of his career."

Broadcasting alongside former major leaguers Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler, his tenure at TSN would last seven seasons. The Blue Jays were never a championship team when he was there, but Shulman says he will always cherish his years with the club.

When Shulman accepted the job at TSN in 1995, he also started doing part-time work for ESPN, commentating both baseball and college basketball games. But it was still a shock to many when he announced that he was leaving TSN for a full-time position with ESPN.

"I love it," says Shulman about his position with ESPN Radio. "I was an absolute sports junkie growing up so I'm lucky I get to broadcast games of two sports I love. I'm very lucky.It seems like all my friends would trade places with me if they could, but I wouldn't trade places with them," jokes Shulman.

In 2009, Shulman received Best National Play-by-Play Announcer. Shulman is the first two-time winner of the Sports Media Canada Broadcaster of the Year Award in 2000 and 2007. 

Source: Kevin Glew