With the launch of the SEC Network on Aug. 14, Ole Miss is excited to announce two local voices, Richard Cross and Will Kollmeyer, will serve as play-by-play talent for locally produced broadcasts.
For the network’s fall 2014 programming schedule, Cross will describe the action for approximately 24 live Rebel events in the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, soccer and volleyball, while Kollmeyer will be on the call for 12 games. Winter and spring content will include baseball, softball and select other sports.
Photo courtesy of Richard Cross’s Facebook page
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue work with Ole Miss and to do so as part of the SEC Network,” Cross said. “The future of TV and digital content surrounding the SEC is both exciting and evolving, and the chance to be a part of this at the ground floor is exciting for me.”
“I’m very excited,” Kollmeyer said. “It’s an honor and I’m extremely grateful to Ole Miss for this opportunity to represent this university in conjunction with the SEC Network is a true blessing.”
In addition to his network duties, Cross is the co-host of “Head to Head with Matt Wyatt and Richard Cross” on Super Talk Mississippi. He has 15 years of experience in radio and TV and has launched two successful statewide, syndicated sports talk radio shows in Mississippi.
Raised in Oxford and a graduate of The University of Mississippi, Cross is the recipient of two Mississippi Association of Broadcasters Gold awards and has worked for Fox Sports Radio and the Sporting News Radio Network.
Kollmeyer was the director of public relations, marketing and sports information at Itawamba Community College for 10 years. He was also the “Voice of the Indians” for its 70-plus annual radio broadcasts and hosted and produced two ICC Athletics updates each weekday morning on WAFM 95.7 FM (Amory).
A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Kollmeyer’s career highlights include interning with CNN Sports, hosting a halftime segment on the Jefferson Pilot SEC basketball Game of the Week, serving 18 years as sports director at WTVA and more than three years as sports director at WCBI.
Kollmeyer was the youngest sports director in NBC affiliate history when he accepted the job with WTVA at the age of 21. He received Associated Press awards in anchoring or reporting or both in 20 of his 21 years in the TV business.
He has also freelanced for Comcast cable stations throughout the south, has provided national updates for key SEC football games for Fox Sports Radio in the last six years and was the only TV sportscaster in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana who had Heisman Trophy and Wooden Award votes.
The SEC and ESPN have signed a 20-year agreement through 2034 to create and operate a multiplatform network that will launch Aug. 14. The new network and its accompanying digital platform will air SEC content 24/7 including more than 1,000 events in its first year. The network will televise 45 SEC football games, more than 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games, 75 baseball games, and events from across the SEC’s 21 sports annually. Programming will also include in-depth commentary and analysis in studio shows, daily news and information original content such as SEC Storied, spring football games, and more. Hundreds of additional live events from various sports will be offered exclusively on the digital platform.
For more information on the SEC Network, go to GetSECNetwork.com. For all Ole Miss Athletics information, go to OleMissSports.com, and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSports.
–Ole Miss Sports Information
Ole Miss Announces Local Talent for SEC Network
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