McKnight has been the radio play-by-play broadcaster for
Troy since 2002 and it’s the job he dreamed of since he was in junior high.
“I thought that being a Division One play-by-play announcer
would be the best way imaginable to earn a living,” McKnight said.
“It took a while, and a bit of hard work and patience, but
the career has been everything I’d hoped it would be.”
McKnight is the play-by-play broadcaster for baseball,
football and men’s basketball at the university but says his job is about more
than sports; it’s about the people.
“Ultimately, I'm not there for the coaches, and I'm not
there for the players,” McKnight said. “I'm there for the fans who want to know
what's happening and want to be entertained.”
According to Chad Simmons, a 2001 Troy graduate and current
season ticket holder, McKnight is the only man for the job.
“I can’t imagine anyone else in Barry’s spot,” Simmons said.
Simmons said one of the key aspects of McKnight’s job is
keeping fans informed and one way he does that is through social media.
McKnight tweets updates throughout the week reminding fans
about upcoming broadcasts and when to tune in for the action.
It’s more than his account of the game though that registers
with fans.
“Anyone can call a game, but Barry has a special connection
with all Trojan sports,” Simmons said. “It comes across in his broadcasts that
he's part of Troy.”
Brian Ross, a local troy fan and season ticket holder, said
McKnight’s delivery makes for memorable calls.
“You never forget where you were when you heard those
special calls,” Ross said. “Barry takes you from your living room or car and places you
in the middle of the action.”
For McKnight, when Auburn and Troy meet on the diamond, it’s
an especially compelling game.
He was the baseball play-by-play broadcaster for seven years
for the Tigers before his current stint at Troy.
“During that time, I worked with two of the classiest men in
college athletics: Hal Baird at Auburn and Bobby Pierce at Troy,” McKnight
said. “Only those who have been in college baseball can truly imagine my luck.”
While he lives out what many would picture as the dream job,
McKnight says the key to his happiness has nothing to do with outs, scores, or
players.
“I’m a broadcaster who happens to talk about sports as a
profession,” McKnight said. “That’s all I do, and it’s a blessing to me, but
the secret is to make my life about more than sports.”
Who knows? His next calling could be selling records.
Listen up during the seventh inning stretch and you’ll hear
that familiar voice leading you in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
So stand up, stretch, and sing along with the Voice of the
Trojans.
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