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Evan Hughes, who recently graduated from Virginia Tech’s School of Communications has won the Jim Nantz Award, presented to the nation’s most outstanding collegiate radio and TV sports broadcaster.
Hughes began his journey to the top of his profession when he was 12 and volunteered as the public address announcer for his sister’s all-star softball games.
He went on to create Patriot Talk Live, for radio broadcasts of his high school’s sports teams, Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, Va. In the tense final moments of the 2014 Tomato Bowl, the epic rivalry between Patrick Henry and Lee-Davis High School (now Mechanicsville High School), the Patriots sealed the win with an interception in the end zone.
On the call, Hughes spontaneously bellowed “Holy Toledo!”
“It was sheer joy that I got to call this awesome moment,” Hughes said. “I just knew at that point. Not that I knew I was good enough to pursue play-by-play broadcasting, but I knew I loved it. I said this is more than just a hobby. I look back on that being the first big moment I got to call, and I remember thinking this is something I really want to do.”
“Holy Toledo!” has become synonymous with Hughes’s calling games over the past four years at Virginia Tech.
“I’m just at a loss of words, to be honest,” Hughes said about the Jim Nantz Award. “I feel lucky to be in this position because there’s so many talented people around the country. The reels were so great this year. I’m just excited for Virginia Tech. This is one of the happiest days of my life.
“It’s not every day you see your parents cry in front of you. Just a really special day. I feel so lucky I get to experience it with my family.”
“This is a landmark day for Evan and for the School of Communication,” said Robert E. Denton Jr., the communication school’s director. “When we officially made sports media and analytics a major in 2020, we were excited to see the results it would yield. This is just the first step. Congratulations to Evan, our hard-working faculty in this area led by Bill Roth, all of our students in the sports media and analytics major, and everyone else who has helped the program transform into what it is today.”
Hughes’s father, Kelly, played soccer for Virginia Tech, so the family has long been Hokie fans. Many Saturdays growing up, Hughes would sneak away from the bleachers at his sister’s softball games and find comfort in the car listening on the radio to Roth’s “Touchdown Tech!” call, which became iconic over his 27-year career as the Voice of the Hokies.
“I look back on it and think how lucky I am that I not only met my idol, but I got to work with Bill on a daily basis,” Hughes said. “I’m in the position I am today, the person and the professional, because of the person I admired growing up. That’s really special.”
Hughes arrived on campus as a freshman in 2017. He has gained valuable experience over the past four years as a play-by-play broadcaster for ACC Network Extra and the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League, as the podcast host for TechSideline.com, and as the sports director for 3304 Sports, the multimedia platform for student sports journalism at Virginia Tech.
“Sports media and analytics, 3304 Sports, Virginia Tech, stand up baby,” Hughes said. “This is a win for Virginia Tech and for our program. I’m proud to be a Hokie!”
“Honestly, being a good person and showing kindness and compassion to others is so important,” Hughes said. “If you make other people feel like they’re important, that’s three-fourths of the battle, in my opinion. Then the broadcasting will take care of itself.”
— Cory Van Dyke, Virginia Tech
