Gus Johnson (photo. George Kalinsky/MSG)

It seems like all the best sportscaster jobs go to former players and coaches. While most are definitely talented and deserve to be there, it does make it a little tougher for the Average Joe to break in. But that didn’t stop Gus Johnson. Gus is somebody who climbed up the broadcasting ranks the hard way. After graduating from Howard University, the Detroit native started off working for several local TV stations around the South. Today, Johnson is not only one of the top play-by-play broadcasters in the country, but he is also one of the hardest working.

On top of calling college hoops for CBS and the Big Ten Network, plus the occasional Knicks game, this multi-dimensional sportscaster also works boxing, MMA, football, hockey and the Winter Olympics. He even lent his powerful pipes for EA Sports’ NCAA Basketball 10.

Gus took a few minutes with Dime to dish out a few pointers on how you can get paid to watch sports all year.

*** *** ***

Dime: What is the secret of being a good sportscaster?
Gus Johnson: We all as sportscasters create a system, and I have a system for two or three different sports. You have your boards, which is seriously a gigantic cheat sheet. But I found as I had gotten older, the best thing to do is talk to people.

Dime: Who are the best people to talk to?
GJ: Talk to players, talk to coaches, talk to executives, athletics directors, GMs, owners… whoever. Just to get the perspective of the person. And that helps you tell a better story as opposed to looking at the media guide or reading a bunch of articles — which I do — but it’s second-hand information. When you get a chance to talk to somebody and get a chance to look in their eyes and get a sense on how they feel and what their goals and desires are, to me, that’s where the best stories come from.

Dime: What kind of advice do you have for people who want to break into sports broadcasting?
GJ: You need to get yourself into a college that has a good television and radio program that focuses on sports. Hopefully, you could go to a college where there’s not a lot of competition (laughs).

Dime: Where do you suggest someone should go?
GJ: Syracuse is the kind of school where kids go to become sportscasters. I don’t necessarily know if that’s the path you want to travel because there’s so much competition. And those kids are good. Fordham is another school like that. I went to Howard University, and when I first started there was no sports broadcasting. Nobody was interested in it. So I called all the women’s games, the men’s games, student radio — which could only be heard on campus, but it was fun.

Dime: Is it a balance between experience and education?
GJ: I think that’s the key. You need to get yourself into a television and radio program. Hopefully, start your freshman year. If you’re from a small town, intern at a local TV and radio station with a heavy emphasis on sports. Work for free. And understanding that working for free is not working for free, because the opportunity is worth thousands of dollars — if not more as you grow at your job.

Dime: What’s some advice that you wish you had when you were starting out?
GJ: Make sure you get a resume tape. Make sure you make that resume tape after you worked hard enough to make that resume tape good. Do this as a college student so you can possibly get a job after you graduate from school working at a TV station somewhere. I think that should be the goal and that’s how you do it.