NEWBERRY, S.C. — Since 1982, Jimmie Coggins has been the Voice of Newberry College athletics specifically football and baseball.
During the week, Coggins is on WKDK radio every morning as he brings news, information and music to the listeners of Newberry.
But during football season, Coggins is working a six-day a week schedule as the play-by-play announcer for Newberry College football. Up until a couple of years ago, he was working Friday nights performing the same announcing duties for Newberry High School football.
It is no surprise that Coggins has immersed himself into everything Newberry as he is a product of that town and a proud 1974 graduate of Newberry College.
He recalls his first job in the family business was as a teen-ager. He worked as a disc jockey and assisted in remote broadcasts of football games. Since taking over those play-by-play duties in 1982, that is 42 seasons of describing Newberry College football over the airwaves, the longest tenure of any college football play-by-play announcer in the state and that would have to rank among the longest stints in the country.
As far as how much longer Jimmie will be on the call, he will work at least until 2027 because that’s how long the contract of head football coach Todd Knight has been extended. But the all-time winningest football coach at Newberry College is far from being ready to put away his headsets and he absolutely loves coming to work in Newberry. The same can be also be said for the legendary broadcaster who has had the best seat in the house at Setzler Field.