Current Sports Information Director at The College of Idaho, Mike Safford, is working this summer as the "Voice of the Hawks."
C of I's SID Pulls Double Duty With Boise Hawks
BOISE, Idaho – The crack of the bat. The sound of the crowd. The noise of the press box. What does all this mean? It’s time for Minor League Baseball!
Current Sports Information Director and Associate Athletic Director at The College of Idaho, Mike Safford knows that feeling all to well, as he spends his summer months as the “Voice of the Hawks.” Safford is the play-by-play radio announcer for the Boise Hawks, which is a Class A Short-Season affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.
Along with covering all aspects of The College of Idaho’s 18 sports, Safford is in the midst of his fourth season with the Hawks’ organization. In 2002, Safford joined the staff working as the official scorer and public address announcer. One year later, Safford took over as the Director of Broadcasting/Media Relations and has called over 200 minor league games in his career, including the organization’s sixth Northwest League championship in 2004 via a three-game sweep over the Vancouver Canadians that included the 5-3 victory that clinched the championship.
Following the 2005 season, Safford stepped down for his broadcasting duties to focus on helping enhance C of I’s athletic department. Safford and his wife, Liza, were also looking to start a family, which meant that being on the road all summer would not help that process.
“The grind at the College was getting too much to handle,” said Safford. “(The College) added soccer, volleyball, and cross country (media guides) in the fall and basketball media guides usually started in August as well. (Liza and I) were also trying to start a family and being on the road all summer doesn’t help that.”
This year, Safford returned to his dual roles with the Hawks’ organization. Working side-by-side with an intern, Safford is responsible for preparing the statistical reports prior to each home game, as well as handling all the post game media information and all website updates.
“With the birth of my son, Parker James, in September, (Liza and I) needed a little extra cash,” said Safford. “The Hawks were very interested in me returning to the booth, so it worked out great.”
On a day-to-day basis, Safford travels with the team getting to know each of the players. Following each game, Safford makes it a point to eat with the players in order to learn more about them personally.
“My favorite part of the job is the relationships I make with the players and the Cubs’ staff,” commented Safford. “I keep in touch with a lot of our former players that are now in the big leagues. The neat thing is that I get a chance to see the players away from the game – at the hotel, on the bus, at dinner – and get to build a nice rapport. Most of the time you can’t tell a free agent signee for a grand from a first-round pick that signed for millions.”
Safford has had the opportunity to call games that included current Major Leaguers Felix Hernandez (Everett AquaSox then, Seattle Mariners now), Conor Jackson (Yakima Bears then, Arizona Diamondbacks now), Andre Either (Vancouver Canadians then, Los Angeles Dodgers now), Ricky Nolasco (Boise Hawks then, Florida Marlins now), and Tim Lincecum (Salem-Keizer Volcanoes then, San Francisco Giants now).
Last summer, the Boise Hawks ran Fiberpipe Home Run Call – a contest that allowed fans of all ages an opportunity to do play-by-play for one of the Hawks’ most dramatic home runs – which used a past Safford moment.
During the ’05 season, Safford called Elvin Puello’s dramatic 10th inning walk-off home run that broke a 7-7 tie with the Vancouver Canadians. Fans would be reliving the play on the video screen, while attempting to match Safford’s call with the Hawks’ faithful voting on the eventual winner. The winner would be awarded the opportunity to work one inning with the Hawks’ play-by-play announcer as well as travel on one road trip as a guest commentator.
“It was kind of weird that they used one of my home run calls after I had been away from the game for over a year,” said Safford. “Especially since (the Boise Hawks) had four walk-off homers in 2006.”
Safford started in the radio business in high school in Puyallup, Washington, helping out during basketball games. While attending Pacific Lutheran University, Safford called numerous high school and college games on radio and television.
In 1998, Safford was named the lead broadcaster for The Evergreen State College athletics. He held that position until 2001, while also serving as the color commentator for the University of Puget Sound football during the 1998 and ’99 seasons.
Following his three-year stint at Evergreen, Safford moved over to his current position at then-Albertson College of Idaho. Along with his SID duties, Safford works as the “Voice of the ‘Yotes” at The College of Idaho and loves what he does. Having numerous seasons of radio broadcasting experience, Safford is not looking towards the future of professional radio.
“I think I have something special here in Boise and something special at The C of I,” said Safford. “I am not one of those broadcasters that keep highlights in their back pocket for their next job. I keep the highlights for the post game show and that’s it.”
Written by Mark Colachico, Corban College Sports Information Director