Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913

The Voice Of Sports For 30 Years

Ozark Marks Milestone In Broadcast Career

KLTZ/Mix 93's Stan Ozark has been the voice of Valley County sports for 30 years and was recently celebrated by the Glasgow Scotties community during the Northern B Girls Divisional tournament. On Feb. 23, chants of "Stan, Stan, Stan" rang out in the Scottie gymnasium. "It was a complete surprise! I looked at Derek [Beadle] and asked what was all this was about. I didn't process what was going on. Once I heard the chanting it put it all together," explained Ozark.

Ozark and Beadle have been broadcasting basketball games for the past two years together, after Bruce Peterson helped in the booth with Ozark for 15 years. "I have been blessed with good people to help me and people with extraordinary knowledge. Derek had a player career and he brings that unique knowledge. Peterson coached for 20 years and coached teams to state. One thing that Bruce taught me was to stay positive, always finding the good out there," stated Ozark.

Though Ozark has done the broadcast for many sports throughout the years, he admits his favorite is football and basketball, though he doesn't get the opportunity to do much football as a result of taking on a different role on the field, as an official. He admits basketball is also more fun due to being able to establish more of a rhythm. "I do five to six basketball games a week, so I'm able to get a rhythm of the play-by-play. Whereas with football, you only do one game a week, so by the end of the season is when you get the rhythm," said Ozark. "Basketball games are also fun because there are good basketball games, and you are able to hear the crowd. Its just lots of fun."

Ozark graduated from Nashua High School and started working at the radio station in 1988 and then took over sports in 1993. "I have always been a big sports guy. I was working here for five years, and the guy that was going to do the sports said he couldn't, so they promoted me," explained Ozark on how his 30-year career started. "Growing up I was always listening to the radio and watching TV but never thought of it as a career. It's been a real learn as you go."

When reflecting upon his career, he admits the first half was just a blur and he didn't take the job as seriously as he does now. "Now I couldn't imagine not being there for State," he stated. He most recently attended and broadcasted the Class C State Championship in Billings this past weekend, a first in his career.

At the time of the interview, his most memorable career highlight was in 2014, when the Scottie boys basketball team had an exception year. As he explained it, "the boys won the Northern B Divisional Championship in Glasgow versus Rocky Boy. The gym was so loud, the Glasgow crowd was all in red and the whole community was there. I was sitting there thinking 'Holy Cow, what a win!" He also admits there have been spectacular class C games throughout the years, where he walks away from the end of the game and thinks to himself "God I have the best job."

In the approximately 3,500 games Ozark has been the voice of over the past 30 years, he has made many connections through the generations of student athletes. "I live every game with those kids. Sometimes it does get emotional. You really live out the wins with them and you feel bad after the loss. It's truly hard to keep the emotions in check when you are on the air," said Ozark. He has also been in the business for so long that he is seeing three generations of kids coming up in the sports that he broadcasts.

Ozark admits these years would not have been such a fun ride without the support from athletic directors, coaches, his family and the community. In addition to broadcasting games, he hosts Live Under the Big Sky, helps with the operations of the radio station, serves on the City Council, serves on the Glasgow School Board, officiates football games, among being a husband and father and other community endeavors. "My job is great. In my opinion, it's the best job. I can't imagine doing anything else. My job allows me the flexibility to do so much. Now that my son, Eli, is old enough, he is able to travel with me, and he is starting to love what I love. My wife is also exceptional, and she also believes in community service," explained Ozark.

Ozark has seen a lot of changes in the community and the local sports world over the years. "When the boys and girls had separate seasons, one year I had 140 basketball games in the year. Glasgow once had football and basketball at the same time. I had to broadcast a game at 9:30 a.m., do a playoff game at 1 p.m., then do a consolation game, all in one day!," reflected Ozark. He also recalled when he first started a telephone line was needed to broadcast a game but now everything can be done from a cell phone, with the most recent change this year having the ability to run the radio station from the broadcast booth. When reflecting on all of the changes, Ozark admits it's hard to imagine what sports broadcasting will look like in 10 years or even 30 years from now, however the huge support of Valley County sports makes the area unique and will help the continuation of the broadcasting for years to come.

 

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