“We won. 88-70.” Apart from a brief introduction, it was the first thing Pat Krueger said on the phone Thursday night after the Hillsdale College men’s basketball team defeated Ferris State. Though his first and official title is Senior Institutional Advancement Associate, Krueger is the play-by-play announcer for online broadcasts of Hillsdale College basketball games. Although now he does it voluntarily, Krueger used to do sports broadcasting for a living.
“I played baseball in college, and if you’re a baseball player your dream is to make it to the World Series. I did get there—to cover the 1985 World Series. I’ve been there for champagne celebrations in the locker rooms, for NFL, NBA, college basketball, professional basketball, professional golf, and NASCAR. I’ve covered a lot of things in my lifetime,” Krueger said.
From John Wooden and Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski to Al McGuire, Kruger has interacted with some of the winningest coaches of all time as well as some of the “characters” of the sport. He was once told a story in which a hungry McGuire wandered into a river barge claiming he needed to inspect the kitchen. He demanded breakfast before the inspection, but left after the meal without inspecting the boat, enjoying a free breakfast.
During Krueger’s time working as an announcer for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he spotted Austin Carr practicing free throws alone in a gym one day. Averaging 38 points per game at the time, Carr was second in the nation in scoring only to “Pistol” Pete Maravich. Krueger decided to rebound for Carr, who began to converse with him.
“He made 105 in a row, and then he missed. Then he made another 100 in a row, then missed again. Then 108 or 109 in a row and then missed again. He talked to me the whole time he was doing this, and he made some 313 and only missed 3 the entire time,” Krueger said. Carr made it look easier, but Krueger said viewers forget how much time these athletes put into their sport.
Krueger said he’d been told you have to do something for 10,000 hours in order to truly excel in it. Considering a 40-hour work week totals only 2,000 hours a year, developing expertise takes a long time.
“I’ve always admired athletes because they have to learn how to organize their time. You get knocked down, and it teaches you how to get back up, and Hillsdale believes in that. Athletics are an extension of the classroom. I love being a part of athletics and appreciate the hard work,” Krueger said.
He began working at Hillsdale in July 2010, the summer after his daughter graduated from Hillsdale. One day, he was asked to test the microphone in preparation for an event Dr. Larry Arnn would be speaking at. He got up there and began talking and afterward was told by Hillsdale College Director of Technical and Media Services Ted Matko that he’d done pretty well. Krueger offered to help with play-by-play announcing if ever needed, and Matko took him up on the offer.
Krueger still lives in South Bend, Indiana, near his alma mater Notre Dame. He is able to do most of his Institutional Advancement and play-by-play preparation work from home, but commutes to Hillsdale when meetings, basketball games, and other obligations summon him. His son Thomas Krueger is in his senior year at Hillsdale.
“I remember one instance a few years back where we weren’t broadcasting the game, but he still made the trip from his home in Indiana to come up. I saw him at the table, with a recording device, ‘calling’ the game just the same,” Senior Administrative Affairs Operations Manager Tim Wells said.
“Play-by-play is so difficult because you have to be engaging the audience at all times. You have to be constantly talking, whether it’s about the game or during a lull. You have to know your facts — the history of each team, their current record, background on players lives — and you have to bring that research to life during the formal play,” Student Activities Director Anthony Manno said. Manno has worked with Krueger doing color commentary and also played on the court while Krueger commentated.
“He’s a natural. He could go on for days. About the game, the weather,” Manno said. “It didn’t matter if it was close or a blow-out, you were always engaged.”
During his time as a player, Manno said parents would come up to tell him how impressive his team was, and he would simply respond, “I’m not very good, but Pat is.”
Krueger has received a plethora of advice from more experienced broadcasters which he puts into practice, raising his caliber as an announcer. Manno said he has perfected the balance between showing team spirit and announcing without bias.
“He’s very gracious. You can tell that although he’s been doing broadcasting for a long time, he remains very honored to do it. He looks at it as a privilege. And people have no idea how hard it is to do,” Manno said.