Ward calling college football is old hat

By: Jim Williams
The Examiner

When Navy takes on Boston College Saturday, Dec 30, in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, 1:00pm a woman who grew up a short drive from the academies Annapolis campus will call the game for ESPN.

Pam Ward who is from Bowie and was on local radio in the early ‘90’s on WTEM in Washington and later on WBAL in Baltimore. The Maryland grad is now in her 10th year with ESPN and her 7th season as the only woman to do college football play-by-play for a national network.

She calls Big Ten, ACC and Big East football as the lead voice on the ESPN2 noon College Football Game of the Week and also handles about 28 women’s college basketball games for the network.

Ward on how she is accepted as a woman broadcaster “The coaches, players and administrators could not be better. It is old hat to most of them now. I mean I have done games at Michigan, Ohio States, all the Big Ten schools, I have done a games at many of the ACC and Big East venues and of course at my school Maryland, it really could not be better for me and I am given the same respect as any my other play by play person at ESPN.”

On doing a Navy game: “I have never done a Navy game. I have been to games in Annapolis and it is such a great tradition. To be honest I really was hoping that I could have gotten a Maryland – Navy match-up but I have done Boston College games and their fans are great so this should be a wonderful game for everyone involved,” said Ward.

She is already on her third woman’s college game of the season and looks forward to seeing Maryland down the line again. Her dream was once to do NFL play-by-play but that has now changed to being able to call the Women’s Final Four. As of now that job belongs to another local favorite Mike Patrick but someday perhaps Mike could hand the head sets over to Pam. It would be a nice transition a plan for ESPN as Ward is a role model for young female broadcasters.