By Crackie! Mad Dog’s Going Into The Hall Of Fame!

In case you haven't heard, my longtime colleague here at WVFN, David "Mad Dog" DeMarco is being inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame tonight (July 29th).  An honor he so richly deserves!

Dave and I go back 25 years, right to early days of "The Sports Guys" in 1996.  I would show up at their remote broadcasts at Barley's, Corey's, and other local establishments, just to see Dave and his partners Jeff Hager and Larry Lage broadcast the show.

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When I entered Specs Howard Broadcasting School in 1997 to pursue a career in broadcasting, Dave and I stayed in touch.  And after I graduated in June of 1998, he helped me get a part-time job here in Lansing as a producer and board-operator.

When I started getting restless, he helped me get an interview with a group of radio stations in Port Huron, MI for a sports director position in the fall of 2000.  After I was hired over there, he was a real good sounding board for me when I was struggling (I struggled a lot over there, another topic for another day).  Ok, I vented a lot to him.

When I was fired in Port Huron in May of 2001, we still stayed in touch while I was unemployed and living with my father in Gaylord, MI.  And when he told me he was leaving WVFN to go to "the other station" in early 2002, he wanted me to be his producer.

Lesson to you youngsters, keep in contact with the people who help you, professionally or personally.  You never know when you may need them in the future.

Working with him every day was an adventure, you never knew for sure what was going to happen on a daily basis.  Being on air with him the Monday after the MSU-Minnesota football debacle in 2002, where Dave couldn't defend then-MSU football coach Bobby Williams anymore, was one of the high points of my professional career.  It was one of the toughest shows he's ever done.  But I told him after that show that I was very proud of him.

When he came back to WVFN in 2006, he brought me with him again.  I am very appreciative of that.

We've had a few arguments and disagreements over the years, which is unavoidable when you're in contact with each other every single day.  But without Dave DeMarco in my life, I'm not doing what I'm doing now.

Nobody works harder than Dave does.  Nobody I've seen works smarter than he does (something he's acquired over the years, smarter isn't necessarily harder, and that's a good thing).  Because of that, he's avoided burnout that plagues most people in society.  And nobody knows how to talk to people like he does.  My father was/is a great networker with people.  But Dave is right there with him.

I'm so thrilled that Dave is being inducted into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame.  Being able to stay on the air and doing sportsradio in a market like Lansing, MI for 25 years is a tremendous feat.  Here's to 25 more, Dave!!!  (Ok, one day at a time and let's go from there, ;)))).