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Don Minish:
The Sports Voice of West Georgia
BY MIKE MEAD
- Any team in any sport has its
own boosters. Not theories that just
show up at the home contests, but
those who go to all of the away
games as well. They’re so
dedicated that in some instances
they’ll fight the elements, even if it
■ takes a dog sled, just to get them to
their appointed destination.
The West Georgia basketball
team has several of these in
dividuals, but none is as dedicated
as Dan Minish. Some may say, “I
thought he announces the home
, games and does most of the away
games on the radio?” Others may
say, “I thought that that was his
job to cover the Braves?" These
are only half truths.
His official title, which he has
held for nine years at West
.Georgia, is Director of
Publications and Printing. His
work involves printing all college
publications with the exception of
the West Georgian.
Covering the basketball team is
what he does after hours. When he
came to West Georgia in 1969,
Minish was a junior going to school
and working under Tracy Stallings
part-time in publications.
“Then I started a bad habit,”
related Minish. He volunteered to
cover athletics and when he
! became director, the title of Sports
Information Director (SID) was
tacked on.
He does not receive anything
extra for being a SID. His closest
friend, Coach Roger Kaiser said,
“He does it because he likes it.”
Minish did make one thing clear,
“My job comes first. I’m devoted
to basketball because I like it. It
breaks up the monotony of my
regular job. Mott of the work I do
(for basketball) it on the weekends
and I enjoy it.”
His love for basketball has
caused him to receive much
criticism from some of the coaches
Scences of the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. Above, a look at Whlteface Mt.
from a distance which is the site of the downhill, slalom and giant slalom races.
Right, an unidentified skier approaches the last quarter of the downhill run. Below,
action along the boards during the United States - Sweden game. (Photos by Mike
Mead)
in the athletic department. Kaiser
said, "He could do all the sports if
it was his only job. He spends a lot
of his own time promoting
athletics.” Minish admitted, “I
wish, very much, that I could give
as much to the other sports as I do
for basketball.”
When the team is at home, he
does the announcing over the P.A.
system and keeps accurate stats.
He can be seen at halftime
hurriedly running around,
gathering stats and getting copies
made of them which he distributes
among both teams. On the road, he
does the play-by-play action over
the radio on WBTR.
He became involved in 1073 with
radio by doing the "color” and by
1975 he was doing the play-by-play.
”1 enjoy doing radio,” said Minish.
Then smiling he added, “I’m also
120 percent biased sometimes.” In
some instances he hates being on
the radio. “I find it hard being
confined to the radio sometimes,
because I can’t yell or cheer for the
team in close situations.”
The Toccoa, Ga. native, in a
modestly demanding way, didn’t
want to dwell too much in his past.
However, it is worth mentioning.
Asa defensive star in high
school, he received the Boyd
Memorial Award his senior year in
football while being named All-
State, first team. The Atlanta
Journal regarded Minish as “one of
the state’s top college prospects.”
He earned an athletic scholar
ship to the University of Georgia,
went for one week and left because
he didn’t like it there. “I’ve always
been a Georgia Tech fan and I
never was a Georgia fan. It was
Tech or nobody.”
He earned an academic
scholarship to attend Georgia
Southern. After two years there, he
came to West Georgia. “My dream
is to be SID at Georgia Tech,” said
the former sports editor to the West
Georgian. He has a wife, Terri, and
two children Angela two, and Jay,
seven months.
His friendship with Kaiser is so
close that their families spend their
vacations with each other. Kaiser
said, “He’s been like an uncle or
older brother to my kids.”
Although he may be busy in
publications, Minish is on top of
what is happening in athletics at
West Georgia. His feelings about
the present football possibilities
are the same as Kaiser’s. “Don’t
do it if it’s going to be a Mickey
Mouse operation.” Minish feels,
“If we have a football team, we will
need a full-time SID, coach and
athletic director to make it work
right. It could be a total em
barrassment. We should put money
behind it end make sure we pay for
it. We should do it right or not at
all.”
■r*’' >
Kaiser Tells
A11...
West Georgia athletic ad
ministrator, and head basketball
coach, Roger Kaiser, made a guest
appearance at Pritchard Hall last
Tuesday to discuss the future of
West Georgia College’s athletics.
The program was sponsored by
Anthony Truitt, a resident advisor
for Pritchard hall. Kaiser gave a
brief summary of the athletic
program since he’s been at WGC,
and then opened the discussion for
questions and answers. Most of the
questions were concerning
‘operation pigskin’, which most of
the 40 or so had come to hear about.
Kaiser’s views and opinions were
favorable towards the program if
“we have the funds for it. I don’t
want to have it to be a Mickey
Mouse operation. I don’t know if it
is in my future or your future.” he
also added, “I wouldn't want it to
take anything away from what we
already have.”
Kaiser also said, “I think we are
in good shape with our coaches.
They are doing a magnificent job.”
As for the future, Kaiser stated “I
think we are going to have to quit
depending on the student activity
fee and get some alumni and
buisness contributions.”
“Finances will control the future
predicted Kaiser. Much of the
controversy will be over what we
do with our money.” (Photo by
Dave Edwards)
He is a strong believer in
athletics. "Athletics is vital to a
school. Athletics have tremendous
P R. (public relations) value and
unify spirit. If it wasn’t for
athletics, especially spectator
sports, there wouldn’t be any
school spirit at West Georgia.”
He explained athletics gains free
P.R. for the school. “When the
Braves won the national cham
pionships in Kansas City in 1974,
‘West Georgia’ was splashed all
over the papers throughout the
country. You couldn’t afford to
advertise like that if you wanted
to.”
He gave another example on how
the school’s debate team is doing so
well, yet the media doesn’t print
much about them. “When the
college announced the possibilities
of a football team, a big write up
was found in the Atlanta Journal.”
Minish added, “If the college
announced of adding anew
academic degree, you’d be lucky to
get a couple of lines in small print
in the Journal. Sports grabs
people; academics doesn’t. Papers
look for negative stories.”
“In the early 70’s with the drug
raids and the rocking chair matter,
West Georgia was making the
papers. But when the team won the
NAIA, it off-balanced the
negatives.”
Minish feels that athletics unify
the college. He pointed out that
concerts, movies and dances
sponsored by the college are poorly
attended while baseball and
basketball draw the people. “We do
need a little bit of everything,” he
said.
He feels people should realize the
P.R. value and tremendous
recruiting level that athletics
possesses In promoting West
Georgia. It’s obvious, Minish
believes In athletics. That’s why he
is known as the "Sports Voice of
West Georgia.”
THE WEST GEORGIAN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1980
Intramural Schedule
BASKETBALL
Feb.2o Feb. 2i
8:30 Sigma Nu vs Kappa Sig 8 ;30 Dunkers vs Express
8:30 ATO vs Pi Kappa Alpha 8:30 UFO vs Tyus
9:30 Alpha Phi Alpha vs Chi Phi 9:30 Bombers vs Men
9:30 Kappa Alpha Psi vs Delta 9:30 Stars vs BSU
Tau Delta
10:30Omega Psi Phi vs Pi Kappa
Phi
SOCCER
Feb. 21
3:00 Sigma Nu vs UFO
3:00 ATO vs Connection
4:00 Kappa Sig vs TTKA
4:00 Chi Phi vs Delta Tau Delta
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