On the football field, Mike Wall '99 was known for his soft hands, agility and precise route-running. In the radio booth, he is making a name for himself with his steady cadence and insightful color commentary.
Wall, a fullback for the Bears from 1995 to 1998 and an All-Ivy selection in 1997, is now in his fourth year moonlighting as a color commentator for the football team. Wall calls both home and away games for Brown along with play-by-play man Scott Cordischi for WSKO-AM 790 The Score, a Providence-based radio station.
An economics concentrator at Brown, Wall currently holds a full-time job in commercial real estate at CB Richard Ellis in Providence.
Wall began his radio career in 2003, with no prior experience in broadcasting. He said when he received a call gauging his interest in the job, he thought it would be a fun experience that would also allow him to keep in touch with the football program.
"I said 'Yeah, what the hell, I'll give it a shot,'" he said. "It's been a lot of fun, and I really enjoy doing it."
Wall's training was entirely on the job, and he said it was somewhat daunting to practice live on the air for a station with such a large listener base. According to Arbitron, a media and marketing research firm, The Score recorded a higher ratings share in the Providence market this summer than Boston sports-radio powerhouse WEEI-AM 850. The Score broadcasts simultaneously on its AM station and its FM outlet, 99.7.
"It was kind of trial by fire. It probably took a good year or year and a half to establish a kind of flow and to feel more comfortable with it," Wall said. "Scott makes the job easy, though, because he is very professional and he really enjoys doing it."
Cordischi is a Brown sports staple on the radio. He also does play-by-play for the men's basketball team and hosts a call-in show with football Head Coach Phil Estes once a week during the football season. Cordischi said Wall was a fast learner and that, as someone with collegiate football experience, he brings an insider's knowledge of the game into the radio booth.
"As a former player he can provide insight into what it's like preparing for the game," Cordischi said. "When the Bears get a big play he can tell you exactly what happened, what route the receiver ran, what coverage the defense was in and how the play broke down. He also has a great rapport with the coaching staff."
Wall agreed that his gridiron experience translates into better radio commentary.
"(Being a former player) allows you a little bit of a better insight into how the play developed and what the thought process is for the guys on the field," Wall said. "When Brown is (trailing) or on a winning streak, I kind of have a sense of what the mood on the team is, what the atmosphere at practice was like that week."
During his college days, Wall got playing time in each of his four years. He traveled with the team as a second-string punter his first year, but Wall said he was able to earn some playing time at fullback by the third game of that season. Wall was known as pass-catching fullback, amassing over 50 receptions his sophomore year.
Wall played for three years under Head Coach Mark Whipple '79, who is now the quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Estes took over during Wall's senior year and was also Wall's position coach during his first two seasons at Brown. Wall also had the opportunity to play with Sean Morey '99, who is now with the Steelers. Both Whipple and Morey won Super Bowl rings last season when the Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.
"Sean was just a kid even from day one as a freshman overachieved. He played harder than anyone I have ever played with," Wall said. "From practice, to training, to the weight room, to game time, his intensity was just incredible. We used to joke that you couldn't play pickup basketball with Sean because he would be so intense about the game that you would end up getting mad at him."
Wall said it was easy to root for Morey in last season's Super Bowl, but it can be difficult for the former Bear to keep his emotions in check in the press box. Wall's pro-Brown leanings are quickly evident to the listener. In the first half of last Saturday's game with Yale, he was quick to question a pass-interference call that went against Brown. Later in the game, he vociferously critiqued the officials for missing what he felt was an obvious holding call.
During commercial breaks, Wall expressed his frustration with the inconsistency of Brown's offense to Cordischi.
"My buddies like to joke with me that when things are going poorly for Brown all of a sudden I get less talkative and when things are going well I really show a lot more emotion," Wall said. "Things are a little easier and more enjoyable when Brown is doing well, but we try to be as unbiased as we can."
Wall said there are times when he has to moderate his criticism of the team.
"As a former player there are certain things that you see going on that drive you nuts. But you kind of bite your tongue a little bit and stay positive," he said.
Wall said his favorite sports announcer is the now-retired Keith Jackson, a legendary voice of college football. He also said that he enjoyed the old ESPN Sunday Night Football crew of Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire.
Now in his fourth season as a color commentator, Wall said he is considerably more comfortable on air than when he started. He added that the biggest thing he tries to remember to do is to finish his analysis before the next play starts. It helps that his preparation consists of a few hours of studying each week.
"I try to read stuff (on Ivy League football) throughout the week," Wall said. "Typically on the Thursday or Friday night before the game I will sit down and make a flip chart with stats and basic information for the players. The sports director will also e-mail us packages containing information about the game which is really helpful."
Even though he is still a radio novice, Wall is not in danger of losing his job calling Brown games anytime soon. Of course, he is not thinking of giving up his day job either.
"It's more of a hobby," Wall said. "I would probably do it for free, but don't tell Brown that."
