Alumni: Mike Kickirillo

Director of Spurs Broadcasting visits Texas State, advises future graduates

By Andrew Osegi

Spurs Basketball

Excitement was buzzing all around the classroom. Students in Larry Carlson’s Sports As News class gathered their note-taking materials as the instructor and his anticipated guest chatted near the entrance.

In an effort to examine the challenges of media coverage in sports, Mike Kickirillo, director of broadcasting for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and a Texas State alumnus, visited his alma mater Tuesday, Jan. 29, to answer questions from aspiring mass communication professionals.

Faculty: Jack Ransone

Ransone shares thoughts on work
with Spurs, balance in academics

Dr. Jack Ransone, a professor and alum of Texas State University, has had a broad career as an athletic trainer for athletes and teams worldwide. In addition to his university role, he is the medical coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs basketball team.

Ransone, the director of the athletic training program at Texas State since 2003, has worked with national teams at sporting events worldwide, including the U.S. National Wrestling Team’s Tour of Europe in 2002; the 2003 Pan American Games; the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece; the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, after which he earned the prestigious Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award from the National Trainers’ Association (NATA); the 2009 World Cross Country competition in Mombasa, Kenya; and the 2009 World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Osaka, Japan.

In a recent interview with British sports news website The Leader, Ransone discusses the balance of his academic role with the hands-on analysis in his work with the Spurs. Here’s a few excerpts from the interview: