University of North Carolina Athletics
An Interview With Mick Mixon
May 6, 2000 | General
May 6, 2000
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Following the awards banquet, Mixon spoke with Howard Platt, Sports Director of network affiliate WSTP, 1490 AM, Salisbury.
Compiled by: Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue.com
Howard Platt: Please share some of your observations as a broadcaster of last year's football and basketball seasons at Carolina.
Mick Mixon: "It's interesting to me that Bill Guthridge considers himself an educator, and he really is, but unless you're a player, or maybe a manager, you can't take his class. However, this year circumstances conspired to put Bill Guthridge, and Carl Torbush too, into such a spotlight that it gave all of us a chance to take his course. As I see it, the lessons he taught were the following:
"Don't look to assign blame. Work hard and work honestly. Be loyal to who you are. And Coach Guthridge did all those things, and he never did give up, and as a result the team kind of rewarded him and Carolina fans with a nice run into the Final Four.
"I thought that was a real testament to Coach Guthridge.
"Now, is what was wrong with Carolina basketball now fixed? I don't think so. A lot of work still has to be done, but you sure can do a better job teaching after you win some games than after you lose."
Howard Platt: What about football? A couple of inches made a lot of difference in the football programs at Carolina and N.C. State.
Mick Mixon: "Howard, the excitement about Carolina football now is almost palpable. You can feel the excitement building. A couple of reasons for that.
"Ronald Curry will be back healthy. Brandon Spoon is back healthy. The schedule is not as front-end loaded as last year's schedule. Michael Waddell will be eligible this year.
"Also, we've got new coaches coming in from N.C. State in Mike O'Cain and Robbie Caldwell. Caldwell may be the steal of the deal. He's very highly regarded among the fraternity of coaches.
"Howard, I think this is going to be a break-out year for Carl Torbush. Nowadays, with the depth, you have to put the asterisk out there of if certain people stay healthy. But if Brandon, Ronald and a few others stay healthy, I think Carolina's going to have an excellent football season this year."
Howard Platt: You're a color man. What is your role as you see it?
Mick Mixon: "My goal when the broadcast starts is to eliminate more ignorance than I create, and hopefully Woody (Durham) and I get that done most games. Woody and I are not the doers of the deeds. The athletes and the coaches are the stars. We just try to connect the deeds with the listeners.
"So I just try to be the explainer. I try to talk to a lot of assistant coaches and educate myself about the subtleties and the nuances of the game. I do not believe that you have to have played to be able to comprehend the game. Obviously there are certain things where it changes your perspective if you were a player or a coach, but I think there's nothing worse than a broadcaster who doesn't understand the playing rules of the game.
"You know Woody gets so excited that sometimes people will ask me how I could keep from going nuts in certain situations. Woody goes nuts enough for both of us, so I try to add a little levity to the situation and not try to out-Woody Woody. I'll just be quiet and let him do his thing, which he does so well. When the time is right, I'll amplify the situation if I'm able to."
Howard Platt: What are the key things that you work on to prepare for a broadcast?
Mick Mixon: "Howard, as you know from doing so many games in Salisbury and the surrounding area, you have to try to get a handle on the conflict. The great thing about athletics is that no one knows how a game is going to go. When a baseball game begins, for example, you may expect a certain pitcher to be dominant, but you don't really know. But you do have to try to get a feel for how you think the game will go.
"But then you also have to be ready to let that contest take you wherever it wants to. An athletic event is kind of like a river. You can't change the course of that river if you're the announcer, you just have to kind of keep your oar in the water and ride it to wherever it's going to take you. You have to be ready.
"You know we always say we only use about a third of the material we prepare to use, but we never know what third that we're going to have to use."
Howard Platt: How did you get started in this business, and where do you think you're going to end up?
Mick Mixon: "I was like a million other kids who wanted to play the sport, I wanted to be in the arena and be the guy the announcers were talking about. But, I realized at an early age that I didn't have to the talent to do so. But I did realize that the camaraderie of an athletic team is something that I wanted to be around.
"There is nothing in the world like the feel of an athletic team. How the guys, and the women for that matter, get along, how they kid each other, how they relate to each other, is something unique that has a heartbeat all its own, and I wanted to be around it.
"I thought, how can I be around it and experience that without playing and coaching. Well, that feeling that we get right before we sign the Tar Heel Sports Network on the air is as close to the feeling of playing in that contest that I can imagine."
Howard Platt: I know you're doing some college baseball on Fox Sports. Where do you see your career going?
Mick Mixon: "I'm teaching a Journalism class at Carolina now. I started a couple of years ago. I love that so much. I always used to hate it when I'd hear a coach talk about his or her team, and they'd say 'my team did this, or my team did that.'
"But after teaching this class I can understand that completely, because I feel an ownership of my students that I'm probably not entitled to, but I still feel it. So I'd like to keep doing that.
"I've also got a couple of books in my mind that I want to try to write.
"But this is a great way to make a living. What could be better than doing what you and I do for a living, which is talking about sports?"
Howard Platt: I might also add that you've had a big change in your life in the past year. You got married. I met your wife Kristin, she's lovely. She seems to be a person that anyone can relate to.
Mick Mixon: "Thanks for saying that, I know she's really enjoyed being around you. She's really cool. She's a really good athlete in her own right. She's a very good skier and a runner.
"She worked in the travel industry for a while. I bring that up because I think it was important for me to hook up with someone who understands the time demands of the business. It's not just the time demands of what we do, it's when we do it.
"When you sign up for this type of job, you need to know that it is labor intensive, and it does take you away from the normal family activities on a lot of weekends and most holidays."
Howard Platt: Your impressions of Salisbury and the awards program here tonight?
Mick Mixon: "I thought it was unbelievable. If you could harness the energy and hospitality that fuels Salisbury, you could power New York City.
"I had no idea that the downtown area would be this pretty. Kristin loves old historic homes, we drove all over town. We were quite taken with both the beauty and the history of the town. There is a lot more to Salisbury than just exits 76A & 76B."
Howard Platt: For all the Tar Heel fans, how do you feel about the future of Tar Heel athletics?
Mick : "I think the corner's been turned. There were some rough times the last couple of years, but I don't think you could lose Dean Smith, Mack Brown and John Swofford and replace them with anybody and not have some kind of a drop off.
"But I really do think the corner's been turned and great things are ahead."
Howard Platt: Once again, congratulations on your award. We hope to see you many more times here in Salisbury.
Mick Mixon: "Well I hope so too, Howard, and I appreciate you saying that. I really didn't do a thing. I feel like I'm here representing the athletes, the coaches and the University of North Carolina.
"I look forward to seeing you again. I appreciate the friendship. It's always fun to be with you. You were a great host."
