Greg McElroy Can’t Just Roll Out Of Bed And Do A Show

Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. If you’re a fan of Garth Brooks, you instantly recognize those lyrics from the song that hit No. 1 on the country music charts in 1991. The saying can mean different things for different people, but to Greg McElroy it signifies one of the best things that’s ever happened in his life. 

It’s funny to think how much that saying can resonate with someone who won a state championship in high school at Southlake Carroll in north Texas, an SEC and National Championship at Alabama and then enjoyed a multi-year career in the NFL, where he left the league on his own accord. But if you knew how much he wanted the after his final season at Alabama in 2010, you’d understand. 

The Campbell Trophy is essentially the academic Heisman in college football. It probably wouldn’t do much for his legacy as a quarterback at Alabama, but McElroy worked hard and really wanted to win the award. But his prayers weren’t unanswered. Instead, the trophy went to Sam Acho of Texas. 

“I was very upset about it,” McElroy said. “But it led to me attending a cocktail hour after the ceremony where I spent time with Lee Fitting, Michael Fountain, Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler.”

Greg McElory was surrounded by four ESPN college football brains who shared a great idea. Since Auburn and Oregon were set to play for the national championship in just a matter of days, they’d have McElroy on for a day. He had just played in an epic game against the Tigers in the Iron Bowl. Granted, McElroy was training for his upcoming NFL career in California, but he agreed to travel to Phoenix for a day to assist with college football coverage. He had no idea what it would turn into. 

That day, you could see McElroy’s natural abilities as a broadcaster. So much so, that ESPN made sure that he wanted to pursue an NFL career instead of a path in broadcasting. McElroy was sure about his decision. The opportunity to pursue a career in the NFL was too good to pass up. 

“I said, yeah, I want to pursue the NFL to at least scratch that itch,” McElroy said. “But it was at that moment where I thought to myself, wow, that was really fun talking about football. I’m talking about teams that I’m familiar with and I really enjoyed it. That was the moment I said, man, this might be something I would consider.”

It was the first time Greg McElroy had ever considered a career in broadcasting. But it wouldn’t be the last. 

Fast forward to early 2014 and McElroy had just finished his third year in the NFL. He played his first two seasons with the New York Jets and just completed a season with the Cincinnati Bengals as a member of the practice squad. He still loved playing quarterback but a big decision loomed for him that would significantly impact his future. 

The SEC Network was set to launch and McElroy was offered a chance to be a part of it. It was three years since he first realized sports media was an avenue he wanted to pursue, and being a part of a network launch was a tempting enough opportunity to leave football for. Ultimately he decided to retire from the NFL. 

“Once I got my pension, I said all right, I’m done,” McElroy said. “I can grind out three or four more years or I can go do something and get started on a career that I can do for the next 30. It was a pretty easy choice for me, especially knowing that the SEC Network was getting ready to launch.”

So there he was walking away from football, with the exclusive reason of chasing an opportunity in sports media. But it wasn’t a quick or an easy decision for McElroy. In fact, it meant phone calls to Mike Slive, who was the SEC commissioner at the time, to discuss the network’s launch. 

“It really came down to a conversation I had with Mike Slive,” McElroy said. “There had been other conference networks but I wasn’t sure. It was kind of a leap of faith. It was March of 2014 and he was at the SEC Basketball Tournament. I called him and I told him what I was thinking and really was asking him if the SEC Network was going to be successful. He said, ‘Greg, I promise you we’re going to do everything in our power from a conference office standpoint to make sure that this is not just successful, but the most successful launch in the history of network launches.’ And my goodness he was right. It was the best decision I ever made. I haven’t second-guessed it for a second. I’m so grateful to him for being so honest with me.”

It didn’t take long for McElroy’s career to take off. Almost instantaneously, the SEC Network was a success and he was a part of it. If you look at the talent that began at the network, it’s no surprise as to why. McElroy was surrounded by talent, with faces such as Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland, Marcus Spears, Tim Tebow and Maria Taylor.  

“We had a really good group,” McElroy said. “One person I give a lot of credit to is Stephanie Druley, because of her eye for talent. What’s really great about it is everyone brought each other along. We were all very supportive, everyone was new in the industry so we were all about learning and attacking it to make it awesome. We had resources and unbelievable producers behind the scenes and it just made our lives really easy. I was told, at least by people in the industry, where you start is really what’s going to determine how you end up doing. If you’re surrounded by really good people in the beginning, you learn good habits and you learn what you’re doing, you’re likely going to have a lot of success. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have been surrounded by the people I was around.”

McElroy quickly excelled at the SEC Network and showed what everyone already knew: He was made for the business. Soon after, he was dipping into sports radio as a host on SiriusXM. Now, McElroy is an analyst for ABC/ESPN college football games on Saturday. He’s also the co-host of McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX 94.5 in Birmingham. 

Initially, McElroy may have believed his path in sports media was going to be exclusively on the TV side. But he found out he’s equally as talented as a radio host. So when it came time for JOX to replace their morning show, McElroy’s history at Alabama, combined with his abilities in sports radio made him an obvious match. It was a job he loved in a city he loved. He couldn’t turn it down for many reasons, but one important factor made the move a no-brainer.

“The biggest factor was the co-host,” McElroy said. “Cole Cubelic is a guy I have so much respect for. We almost get to the point where we compete as to who watches more tape and who’s more prepared. That’s what you want, at least, that’s what I want, a partner that I know I can’t just roll out of bed and do a show. I’m going to have to be prepared. Because if I don’t I could get embarrassed. That makes me better, that makes him better and that makes the show better.”

The second thing that made morning drive on JOX attractive was the ability to be nation-wide. McElroy quickly realized the reach the station has with the apps that bring content to football fans all over the globe. Third, was the opportunity to be a part of an extremely well-resourced team with a track record of success. 

“College football is my biggest passion,” McElroy said. “I still think that the college football audience is really underserved. I’ve always felt that. I feel like there’s a thirst for college football that’s unquenchable and you’re not going to get it very many places. I feel like Cole and I can deliver a show that will be appetizing, not to just the SEC football fan, or for the Alabama or Auburn fan, but for a football fan that’s passionate about Michigan State, or a football fan who is passionate about South Carolina or even West Coast football. It doesn’t really matter, we’re going to hit at all.”

It makes sense that the guy who played quarterback at the dominant program in college football would want an opportunity to do radio at arguably the most dominant station in the Southeast. McElroy and Cubelic bring the former player side of things to the radio, but are also extremely polished in how they carry a radio show. It works. And it will continue to work for a long time. 

“When I worked at SiriusXM I had great partners, like Taylor Zarzour who was awesome and I loved Danny Kannell. But when those guys were out, I’d always tell my program director to get Cole Cubelic or Tom Luginbill. It’s good because we see the game so differently. That’s what’s been so fun for me, because I’m learning something every day. When we watch film all he’s watching is the offensive line. I never watch the offensive line. My eyes gravitate to the secondary and the wide receivers and the quarterback, etc. I see it all-22 big picture and he really lives in the trenches. That’s a really good balance for us. While some people will naturally look at our allegiance with Alabama and Auburn and say, oh, that’s where they disagree, no, the way we disagree is actually literally on everything. The way we see the game is totally opposite.”

If not for the unanswered prayer of winning the Campbell Trophy, would McElroy be the media star he is today? Who knows. But there’s no doubt it put him in a position to have success after the contacts he made that evening. JOX knocked it out of the park with the pairing in the morning, but their minds are set on even bigger things in the future. 

“I love the growth potential here,” said McElroy. “There’s no secret, we’re proud of where we’re at right now, but Cole and I both, and our program director Ryan Haney, we fully expect this to be the start not the end. We’re just getting started. At some point we want this to be a visual platform and we want to be accessible to people all throughout the country and that’s my plan for the show. I feel like this is the best place to try and take it to the next level.”

Tyler McComas

Tyler McComas is a columnist for BSM and a sports radio talk show host in Norman, OK where he hosts afternoon drive for SportsTalk 1400. You can find him on Twitter @Tyler_McComas or you can email him at TylerMcComas08@yahoo.com.