After nearly three decades, Gene Wojciechowski announced that his time at ESPN has officially come to an end. Photo Credit: Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK Credit: Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK

Gene Wojciechowski built a well-deserved reputation as a pro’s pro. And as a reporter, you never want to be the story. Still, when Wojciechowski announced his official departure from ESPN on X (formerly Twitter) last weekend, there was an outpouring of praise from his peers.

Wojciechowski, a part of the ESPN layoffs in 2023, had been with the Worldwide Leader in Sports since 1998. The longtime college football and basketball reporter now teaches at his alma mater. He’s a full-time professor of practice at Tennessee as the Edward J. Meeman Distinguished Professor. Wojciechowski also has a book scheduled for release in March. We caught up with Wojciechowski to talk to him about his new job and his old one.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: How does it feel to be back at your alma mater?

Gene Wojciechowski: “The irony of it all is that when I was a student at Tennessee, I almost had to drop out of school because I was running out of money. My dad had died. My mom was supporting four kids on a nurse’s salary, and it was looking pretty bleak for me. I got a scholarship at the last second, and it was from this Meeman scholarship fund. So the symmetry of it all isn’t lost on me that this professorship is from the Meeman Foundation and that scholarship years ago saved my college life.”

What else can you tell us about your job?

“Tennessee was very kind to offer me this gig. I spent the last academic year on campus teaching sports journalism, and I had a blast. I probably learned more from the students than they learned from me. It was a cool experience, and I was grateful for the opportunity. I taught two classes each semester. I also serve as an advisor to the student newspaper and help out with the student TV station. That’s been a lot of fun too.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0tAn4c6GSs&ab_channel=ESPNCollegeFootball

What’s the coolest thing about returning to Knoxville?

“For the first time in forever, I can be a fan. I can’t tell you the last time I went to a game as a fan and tailgated. I always worked on Saturdays. To be a college football fan is a pretty cool thing. I enjoyed just not having to hide that because when you work for GameDay, you couldn’t wear that on your sleeve. It’s nice to put on a Tennessee sweatshirt and be a fan for once, so I’ve enjoyed that part of it too.”

Is ‘Rocky Top’ now your ringtone?

“No. I won’t go that far, but I do have Smokey somewhere in one of my photos. Not many people get that opportunity to go back and teach at their alma mater. I’m very fortunate. I’m not sure I would have done this for any other school except Tennessee.”

What’s the main takeaway you hope your students get from your class?

“The basics still matter. They matter more than ever. We live in a world of hot takes, AI, and shortcuts. I wanted them to understand that to be as good as Rece Davis, Tom Rinaldi, Chris Fowler, Wright Thompson, Ivan Maisel, Maria Taylor, and all these people, there are no shortcuts. To be great, you have to commit to greatness. You have to make the effort. Bill Plaschke, and oh golly, I don’t want to leave anybody out. People who are in the business talk to my classes because I want them to hear it and see it. Tony Reali was kind enough to do it shortly before Around the Horn ended. A lot of those women and men, Holly Rowe, were able to give those students a perspective that you can’t get from a book.”

Why did you post on X last weekend that it was “official last day on the ESPN books” on May 31?

“I wrestled with whether or not to post something, but I decided to do so because I wanted to thank some of the people, especially a handful of ESPN executives who had been instrumental in my career. There were a dozen, two dozen, a hundred other people I could have thanked. John Skipper, John Papanek, and all the names that I mentioned, those people hired me or asked me to work in certain parts of ESPN, or stuck with me when there was no reason to stick with me, especially when I was starting on TV. I just wanted to acknowledge some of those folks, and so the people who responded, that was kind of them and unnecessary, but appreciated.”

What are your thoughts on your ESPN career?

“I came to ESPN as a newspaper guy. I still consider myself a newspaper person. I know newspapers have had their challenges. I’m saddened by that, but that was who I was. I just tried to take those things to ESPN The Magazine, then to ESPN.com, and then to the TV side. What I’m most proud of is that I lasted a number of years in a tough business. I’m proud that I took a leap of faith every so often and that ESPN took a leap of faith with me. I can’t emphasize this enough: I’m incredibly grateful to ESPN. I worked my ass off for ESPN and I feel like ESPN gave me more than I gave it.”

Is there a story you did that moved you emotionally?

“It’s hard to forget little Chad Carr. It’s not just me. There’s a producer and a crew. I want to make that clear. It’s a collaborative exercise. We did a story on Chad Carr, who was five years old and died of a rare brain cancer, and how it brought the University of Michigan community together. A year or two ago, I was the emcee for the fundraiser for the ChadTough Foundation. (Parents)Tammi and Jason were kind enough to ask me to do it. That was an honor.”

Is there another story like that?

“We did a story on a former Alabama kicker Adam Griffith. He won national championships. He was an orphan from Poland, and he was adopted by a Georgia couple. We went back with Adam to Poland and the orphanage. We stumbled by accident into his birth parents. His family, and when I say they were dirt poor, the floor of the house was dirt. We walked into that house, and it was an incredibly emotional reunion. I’ll never forget Adam pulling out an iPad and showing his birth parents him at the White House meeting with President Obama when the team had gone to celebrate the national championship.”

What’s your new book about?

“I left ESPN in the summer of 2023 and spent a year writing a golf novel. I covered golf at ESPN and loved it and had an idea for a novel always sort of somewhere in the back of my head. It bubbled to the surface once I had some time to sit down and do it. It’s going to be published by my Crown this March, right before the Masters. It’s called All Carry. It’s sort of a golf term.”

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.