Jerry Young, of Birmingham, is fast becoming known as the “Voice of Alabama High School Sports.”
“I began broadcasting high school games in 1982 on the radio as a hobby, but it’s one of those hobbies that has become a career,” he said. “As a result of this I’ve seen a couple of hundred different games and matches and along the way some phenomenal athletes. With today’s digital media we are able to broadcast a televised game via the Internet.”
Young’s philosophy toward broadcasting is to keep it positive.
“I want the parents and grandparents as well as the athletes involved to be able to look back on a particular game and hear something positive about their role in it. The videotapes will be something that they’ll play for their children,” he continued.
Because of his position Young is often asked to give motivational talks or lead in devotions.
“My job gives me a platform to speak to groups, and one of the things I try to get across is the importance of getting one’s priorities in order, such as their spiritual, academic, physical and social lives. I tell them that when they do, they have taken a major step toward becoming a success in life,” he said.
Standing 10 feet tall
A favorite quote Young often shares is by the famous athlete Jesse Owens.
Owens said, “It behooves a man with a God-given ability to stand 10 feet tall. You never know how many youngsters may be watching you.”
Young also appears often on radio and TV segments across Alabama.
A former deacon at Berney Points Baptist Church, Hoover, Young and his wife, Rejohnia, an RN at a Birmingham hospital, recently moved to Calera where they now attend First Baptist Church, Pelham.
“I’m the chief cook and bottle washer of a men’s group that meets monthly to hear a speaker and eat a steak for lunch,” he said. “Each man in our group is responsible for bringing another person to the meeting.”
Because of his job with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), Young is unable to teach a Sunday School class or do any of the other things he enjoys about church life.
“Ours is digital media television that reaches throughout the state,” he said. “The NFHS, which broadcasts the games and state championships, is in all 50 states. Alabama is the first to carry a game each week.”
Young said he would be traveling from Florence to Brewton this season for the weekly Friday Football Game.
“We’ll also be doing volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball,” he said. “By May things should start to wind down a bit as I’ll be broadcasting the state swimming championships from Auburn University as well as the track and field championships.”
There also will be the soccer championships and possibly a few others to make the schedule.
“From there we start planning the following year’s schedule,” he said.
Of all the aspects of his work Young most enjoys speaking to the athletes.
“I tell them that God has a purpose for them. When they put their lives in His hands and trust in Him with all their heart, He’ll open doors they never could have imagined,” he said.
Young said he offers one last point of advice when he speaks, whether it’s to a team in the locker room or to a Quarterback Club.
“I tell them to never count the things that they do but to count the things in life that really count,” he said. “I feel they’ll not only grow up right if they do, but the Lord has a way of rewarding them in the long run.”
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