Norman Seawright: The Winning Formula

The Winning Formula

Norman Seawright said having a deep family history of sports played a big part in his career goals.

“I got into sports because we have a pretty athletic family,” Seawright said.

Seawright, an Indiana native, first took up an interest in sports in middle school where he played basketball and ran track -- his mom and dad were track runners in high school. Seawright’s dad, Norman H. Seawright Jr., is a former football player for the University of Mississippi. Ole Miss Football has a history of winning, having won three national championships and six SEC overall titles in its 120 years of existence, according to the Official Site for Ole Miss History of Rebel Football.

Norman Seawright III

When it was time for Seawright to pick a school, he said his decision was easy. 

“Both my mom and dad went to Ole Miss, so I wanted to continue the family tradition,” he said.

At Ole Miss, Seawright worked for the Rebel Athletic Department doing reporting, play-by-play, and videography for the Women’s Soccer and Volleyball teams. Seawright said working for the athletic department of his father's alma mater was a proud moment for him. 

“It was a lot of fun," Seawright said. "They’d be like ‘Ah Seawright, I remember your dad when he was a receiver, back in the late 70s, early 80s."

Seawright said he knew exactly the profession he wanted to pursue at a relatively young age. 

“When I got into high school, I got into journalism and radio TV class," Seawright said. "I pretty much fell in love with it then and brought it onto college. I got into broadcasting because my parents and other people were like 'you have a great voice, go into something you can use it with.'"

Having a good voice can only get you so far in this business, but combining a good voice with a Syracuse education is a winning formula. So far, so good for Seawright.

 

Interview between Danielle Barber and Norman Barber

Danielle: I’m Danielle Barber and I’m here with Norman. Norman, thank you for joining me today.

Norman: Thanks for having me today.

Danielle: So, first of all, tell me how you got into sports.

Norman: I got into sports because we have a pretty athletic family. Dad was a college football player, high school basketball player. He ran track, my mom ran track, all of us ran track, and I played a little tennis in middle school.

Danielle: Where did your dad play football at in college?

Norman: He played at Ole Miss. University of Mississippi D1, SEC.

Danielle: What kind of sports media experience do you have?

Norman: I got a lot of it starting out in high school, actually. I did some play-by-play and some announcing then, kind of brought that with me to college, undergrad. I did play-by-play for mostly soccer and volleyball, did PA for softball a few times.

Danielle: How did you like the experience in high school?

Norman: It was a lot of fun. It gave me a chance to really just be more outgoing. It kind of helped me out later on in life. I mean it was a lot of fun just sitting in front of a crowd of hundreds of people and they have to listen to me, they don’t have a choice. Like, I am the biggest cheerleading in the room.

Danielle: You carried that experience into college, so, what sports did you do reporting and play-by-play in college?

Norman: Reporting, actually, I did volleyball, softball, and soccer but, mostly the play-by-play for soccer and volleyball.

Danielle: What was it like reporting and doing play-by-play and being just a part of the athletics department at the school that your dad formerly played football for?

Norman: It was a lot of fun. I think they kind of gave me a little bit of leeway because like “Ah, Seawright…we remember your dad when he was a receiver back in the late 70’s early 80’s.” It was the guy working in the department who was one of his coaches. So, he would always be like “How’s your dad doing? Tell him I said hi.”

Danielle: Did you face any challenges while you were working for the athletics department that you remember, anything that you had to overcome?

Norman: I had to get over the fear of being told “no.” You have a lot of information directors who, sometimes, want to suppress a story and they don’t want you to talk about certain subjects and that was one of the things I had to get my head around the idea that, sometimes, you’re just not going to get what you’re after very easily you might have to find another avenue to do it.

Danielle: You talk a lot about your dad played at Ole Miss and how your family is big into sports. Would you say that they play a great influence on your sports life and your decision to pursue this kind of career path like how has it influenced your career decisions thus far?

Norman: Being involved in sports, it’s different from being in the news. It’s less doom and gloom, less murder and arson, and it’s more of a lifestyle that a lot of people can relate to. I got into broadcasting because my parents and other people were like “you have a great voice, go into something you can use it with,” and I was like Okay, that makes sense. When I got into high school, I got into journalism then, I got into radio and TV. class and they kind of worked together. They both kind of recognized what I wanted to do and basically let me collaborate between the two classes. I pretty much fell in love with it then and brought it onto college.

Danielle: So, you want to pursue a career in sports broadcasting. Which sportscasters do you want to emulate when you start to get into your own career?

Norman: I really admire Stuart Scott. He’s very level-headed and professional. And I also enjoy watching and learning from Sharyn Alfonsi. She came and spoke at our graduation and she left me with some words that kind of stuck with me. Whatever is it that you want to do you just go after it and don’t quit, just be relentless and drive after it with all you got.

Danielle: Great. Well, I think that’s all I have for you, Norman. But, thank you again for joining me and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Norman: Thank you.