074 Gus Ramsey: ESPN and Full Sail University

In 2018, Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida launched the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting. Billed as the only Bachelor’s program in the country dedicated specifically to sportscasting, the Dan Patrick School has placed hundreds of students in the sports media industry, with graduates working in dozens of local markets plus places like CBS, ESPN, and FOX.

Gus Ramsey has been the Program Director of the degree since day one. A graduate of Rollins College in Winter Park and former producer at Orlando’s WESH-TV, Gus spent two decades as an Emmy-winning producer at ESPN, helming the iconic SportsCenter shows that were appointment television. He worked side by side with notables like Keith Olbermann, Rich Eisen, Craig Kilborn, Bob Ley, and Dan Patrick himself, shaping the feel and tone of ESPN’s most prominent studio shows.

Gus recently announced his retirement from Full Sail, but before he heads off to the mountains of North Carolina, he joins the podcast to share our common memories of 1990’s Orlando and early 2000’s Bristol, offer insight into the current state of the industry, and describe the challenges of starting a degree program from scratch.