Courtesy Warsaw Times Union

(January 15, 2010) So nervous to speak in front of people while he was a student in Argos, Roger Grossman used to beg his teachers not to make him read to the class.

Nowadays, the 41-year-old has an award-winning radio voice.

Grossman, who overcame a speech impediment by going to speech therapy classes three days a week, is the Programming Director for ESPN 1480 and the News Director and Sports Director for Lake City Radio, which also includes WRSW 107.3 and Willie 103.5.

Since 1991, Grossman's soothing voice has been heard in more than 1,000 area sports broadcasts, and prior to the start of Friday's varsity boys basketball game between Warsaw and Goshen he will be honored by the IHSAA with the Distinguished Media Service Award for District I.

"I'm surrounded by award-winning people," said Grossman, who resides in Winona Lake with his wife Holly. "Rita (Price) is in the Indiana Broadcast Hall of Fame and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. This is really almost akward. I'm the one who writes up and reads press releases, and now it's me. I almost don't know what to do. I'm very humbled and honored. I'm stunned by it all. There's a lot of people who have helped me along the way."

According to an IHSAA press release, this the 25th year the IHSAA has honored members of the media from each of its three districts for excellence in the coverage of high school sports.

District I covers 22 counties in northern Indiana.

Grossman was nominated by Warsaw Community High School Principal Troy Akers and WCHS Athletic Director Joe Santa.

IHSAA Commissioner Blake Ress will be on hand to honor Grossman, as will Santa, who is a member of the IHSAA Executive Committee, and IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille.

WRSW's Rita Price received the award during the 2001-2002 sports season.

"I'm very humbled by all this," said Grossman, who graduated from Argos High School in 1986 and Butler University in 1991. "I knew at a very young age I wanted to be a sports broadcaster, and I had to overcome some things along the way. I had a speech impediment. From time to time I got stuck, and the words just wouldn't come out. I begged my teachers not make me read in front of the class. But I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I made my mind up that that's what I was going to be."

Grossman said his broadcasting career got started in the backyard when he was 5 or 6 years old. He would throw a ball up in the air, swing at it, and then describe the action to the birds, or whoever and whatever would listen.

He said he remembers watching Chicago Cubs games as a youngster, and thinking how neat it would be to work at a radio station and describe the action to people who couldn't be at the game.

"I just thought, 'what a cool job, to be able to go to games and describe it for people who couldn't be there,'" said Grossman. "Being around the kids keeps me young. It helps me understand what kids are going through. I have a unique opportunity to keep up on what kids are going through, at games, at school, at home. I'm very blessed. I've gotten a lot more out of it than I've put into it. I'm a very lucky guy."

Grossman did his internship with WRSW and was the color commentator for Warsaw football games, working with Brad Ellis for the 1991, 92 and 93 seasons.

Grossman has also done Tippecanoe Valley basketball and football games with Price, as well as Grace College basketball games.

For 16 seasons, Grossman has been the voice of the Warsaw girls basketball team. Since 2002, Grossman has been calling Warsaw boys basketball and football games.

In the spring, he broadcasts area high school baseball games.

On Monday afternoons, he and co-worker Tim Keffaber do a one-hour call-in show called Sports Bug Monday.

"The Warsaw community has supported this radio station for a lot of years," said Grossman. "We are very thankful for that. We're a small station, and we are all very honored to be able to work with the kids and work with the community. What a neat job, to be able to work with kids and talk about the things they are doing."

Of all the games that he has broadcasted, Grossman said one that is very vivid in his mind is the 2004 girls basketball semistate game, a game in which Warsaw's Jaclyn Leininger hit two free throws in overtime to beat Valparaiso 53-51 and send the Lady Tigers to the Class 4A state championship game. Leininger was later named Miss Basketball.

"I'll always remember the 2004 semistate game," said Grossman. "The gym was almost sold out, and knowing what was on the line. For us to send it into overtime and then win it, that was a special season and a special team. From having a niece on the team, to starting the season ranked No. 1 and finishing the season in the state championship game, that was a special season for Warsaw and a special season for me."

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