Stories, Sports, and Songs: Tales and Tunes by a Play by Play Lifer

by Bill Schoening

Overview

Long before he hit the big time as the play-by-play voice of the Texas Longhorns and San Antonio Spurs, sportscaster Bill Schoening paid lots of dues. "Stories, Sports, and Songs" is a collection of 101 tales that chronicle Schoening's unlikely and often humorous radio journey. It started with the childhood dream of a 4th grader in inner-city Philadelphia and continued to small market stations in rural areas of Central Illinois and West Texas. Along the way, he wrote melodies and lyrics about his life experiences. Schoening's broadcasting career now spans over four decades, and he has spent half of those years with the Spurs, describing four NBA titles during his 21 seasons.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781637772355
Publisher:	Red Penguin Books
Publication date:	03/20/2022
Pages:	314
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.66(d)

About the Author

Bill Schoening was born and raised in Philadelphia and had the good fortune to grow up right around the corner from a large playground, Finnegan Recreation Center. His childhood years spent playing a variety of sports instilled a deep love for athletics. Inspired by Phillies announcer Byrum Saam, the 10 year old Schoening decided he wanted to be a radio sportscaster. Ten years later, just a few days after graduating from the American Academy of Broadcasting, Schoening began his career in Pana, a small town in Central Illinois. He was able to broadcast some high school and junior college games, but on a very limited basis. He then accepted an offer to broadcast high school games at KPET in Lamesa, Texas. The station's strong commitment to sports gave Schoening the opportunity to call lots of games and work on his craft. Three years later, he was named the Play by Play voice at Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas. His duties at KSAM Radio in Huntsville also included covering the Texas Prison system, and he was the Texas Associated Press correspondent for 29 lethal injections. After six years in Huntsville, he was hired by KLBJ in Austin, where he got to work for Lady Bird Johnson and cover the University of Texas Longhorns. During his twelve years on the Longhorn Radio Network, Schoening called three College World Series, nine NCAA basketball tournaments, and the career of a Heisman trophy winner (Ricky Williams). In 2001, the San Antonio Spurs offered Schoening the chance to join the professional ranks. During his time behind the microphone, the Spurs have won four championships. Schoening's favorite hobby is songwriting, and has penned over two dozen songs, and has independently released three CD's of original music. He and wife Gerry live in Austin and have two adult sons, Eric and Karl.