My love for sports began in December of 1990 when my parents brought us to a New Orleans Saints game. We sat in the very top row of the Superdome with our backs against the wall. The Saints lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 9-6. I have been addicted to sports ever since that trip to the big easy.

Long before the internet, I was keeping track of my favorite players' statistics. I would watch the Green Bay Packers and during the game keep track of Brett Favre's attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and interceptions. If there is such thing as a "sports nerd", I was one and still am today.

After graduating from Barbe High School, I went on to LSU. I didn't really want to go to college, but my best friend was going to LSU, and I didn't want to miss out. It's an example of how peer pressure can have positive effects. Throughout my five years in Baton Rouge I never really knew what I wanted to do for a living. I decided to major in business because that's what I grew up around. My father is a commercial real estate developer, and my grandparents owned their own insurance company. 

My life changed in January of 2003 when I met the former station manager of Tiger Television, a television station run by LSU students. I told her that I loved sports and she directed me to Chad Sabadie who was the sports director at Tiger TV. I had no television experience and I was not enrolled in any mass communication classes. Despite that, Chad asked me if I wanted to contribute on the weekly show LSU Sports Showtime. Of course I said yes!

Chad and some other mass communication students taught me how to use a camera and how to edit video. For the first time in my life, I was really enjoying school! I was a weekly contributor on the show and even got the chance to host an episode. If Chad had not given me that opportunity, I never would have thought about doing television again. So, thanks Chad! I graduated in May of 2003 and pursued a career in sales. I sent out numerous resumes, but every employer told me the same story. I was told that I needed sales experience. After months of searching for jobs, I needed some money so I decided to go down to New Iberia where I sanded pipes. It was hard work, but it paid well. After a month and a half, we finished our job at Bayou Pipe and I was back in Lake Charles looking for a job.

In November of 2003 I contacted Tiger TV and received copies of the shows that I was a part of. I heard that FOX 29 had an opening for a sports reporter on its newscast, so I applied for the job. I produced a resume tape and brought it to FOX 29. Looking back on it now, that tape was horrible! FOX 29's news director John Korbel interviewed me for the position. After six weeks of convincing John, Lester Langley (FOX 29 owner), and Madelyn Bonnot-Griffin (FOX 29 general manager), I was hired! I wasn't making much money, but I didn't care. I was so excited to have the opportunity to cover local sports.

I worked at FOX 29 from December 2003 to August of 2005. I left FOX 29 to take a job at KPLC as the sports director for its newscast. I really enjoyed working for KPLC general manager Jim Serra, but after a year and a half I started feeling differently about my position. Working late nights and having to anchor every Saturday and Sunday for what I thought was a low salary took a toll on me. I worked the final ten months at KPLC without a contract. KPLC's news director and I had numerous discussions about a new contract, but we could never agree on the terms. So in January of 2008 KPLC and I decided to go our separate ways.

I did not pursue any other television jobs because I wanted to stay in Lake Charles. My family is from here, the people of Southwest Louisiana are incredible, and the food is fantastic. I accepted a sales position at Cumulus Broadcasting in April of 2008. My job was to sell radio advertising to local businesses. The transition was not easy for me. As a sports reporter, I would make appointments to interview people and they were always happy to see me because I had a camera and they knew they were going to be on television. However, as a sales representative, I did not get that same response. Rarely did I feel welcome when I would visit with business owners. Even though I was trying to help them grow their business through advertising, I felt like I was bothering them.

In December of 2008 I came up with the idea for 337 Sports. I still had a great relationship with FOX 29's general manager Madelyn Bonnot-Griffin, so I set up a meeting to pitch my idea. Madelyn liked my concept for a local sports show and we decided to work together once again. I put in my two weeks notice at Cumulus shortly after that and launched 337 Sports in February of 2009.

I am thrilled to be back covering local sports, and I feel blessed to have people like Madelyn in my life. I have a true passion for delivering sports information and I hope that comes across when you watch 337 Sports.

Take care!