Schuiling, 35, feels honored to be able to cover quarterback Dan LeFevour's last game in Mobile, Ala. at the GMAC Bowl.

For the past two years, Shuiling, 35, has been the team's "play-by-play radio" announcer.

Schuiling, who also announces CMU basketball, was a passionate and a "dedicated student of announcing" even before he first came to CMU in 1994.

What experience do you have as a play-by-play announcer?

Mostly I've done radio play-by-play announcing. I've done some television, but, this is pretty much what I've wanted to do professionally.

It's something I've been working on for the last 20 years.

How did you get started?

I started doing the high school team videos for Grass Lake High School in 1989, I was doing it for fun then, but the coach liked the job that I did, and so I kept doing that.

It just kind of built from there, and I did some announcing in college as well, here at Central.

I called Shepherd High School football and women's basketball for CMU in the '90s.

It's been kind of a long and winding road of a career for me.

Where have you gained your experiences as a broadcaster?

I worked at 9 & 10 for about six months. I was a photographer. I went to Grand Rapids, and I worked there for four years.

I did the afternoon drive radio call-in show before (Bill "Huge" Simonson).

And then I went to Richmond, Virg., for a while, and I worked with the arena football team, the Richmond Speed.

And then I went back to Grand Rapids after my graduate work at CMU, and I worked for the Griffins hockey team for a season.

From the Griffins, I went back to my hometown of Jackson and worked for JTV where I did some TV and play-by-play for Jackson High School sports.

What has helped you most with what you are doing right now?

I kind of view myself as an embedded reporter that would be with a military unit during war.

I'm there to do a job to cover the team and do it professionally and to a certain degree, objectively. But at the same time, I'm kind of in the bunker with them.

So, I feel the wins and losses, the highs and lows. When you're on the road with a team your with them day-in and day-out. It becomes a very intense experience.

I think being a play-by- play announcer is the most rewarding thing you can do as a sports broadcaster. I try to paint the picture and make it entertaining and informative.

What's your favorite sport?

I'd have to say baseball. I grew up with it. It's the sport my dad worked with me on the most when I was younger.

It's a sport I played all the way through community college.

I appreciate the history of baseball. The pace of the game. The majesty of the game. It's the only sport that doesn't have a clock.

I think the best announcers professionally are baseball announcers.

Was there a mentor, or someone who inspired you?

Both. Marc Vandermeer, the voice of the Houston Texans NFL team. He was the play-by-play announcer here at CMU when I was a student.

He was a direct influence. If a person says something and they're doing what you dream of doing, and they tell you you're doing a great job - that's confirmation.

Some indirect influences would have been my dad. My dad was very supportive when I was growing up of my sports announcing.

Who are your favorite sports announcers?

Some idols of mine are Ernie Harwell, George Kell, George Blaha and Bruce Martin who is the Red Wings announcer.

How did you hone your skills?

A lot of times, aspiring young broadcasters like to turn the sound down on the TV and call the games. And I never did that, I would turn the sound up and I would listen to the announcers.

Because I felt that I would learn more from hearing Ernie Harwell call a game or listening to what George Kell had to say.

That's how I learned the sports. I thought I'd learn more as a broadcaster not by talking, but by listening.

What was your favorite interview?

If I had to pick a favorite, I would also qualify it as the most important interview I did which was with Marty McSorely, a hockey player in the late '90s.

He was suspended from the NHL for a stick swinging incident when I was working in Grand Rapids.

He declined interview from ESPN and several other media outlets, but the Griffins trusted me enough to be able to handle it when he came to play for them.

It taught me handle a very controversial subject in a way that was fair to him.

I was asking questions that needed to be asked, but by the same token, giving him the opportunity to tell his story.

Do you practice voice technique or voice projection?

It's very important to learn how to perform. It's a lot like theater.

I take my regular conversation voice, slow it down a little bit when I can. Work on my pacing, my diction, and I try to project a strong voice. It's having that confidence to bring it out.

It's not easy. I think a lot of announcers would be well served to take singing lessons. I never did it, but I think if I did, I'd have a better grasp on my voice as an instrument.