ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — Dave Ross has been a fixture in broadcasting local sports either on TV, radio, or online since 1975. He credits his two years of service in the Army during Vietnam for giving him the drive and determination to last this long in broadcasting.
Dave’s voice and face have been part of local sports broadcasting for decades. Ross came to Roanoke in 1975 to become WSLS Sports Director in 1986. Ross played a big role in sports coverage here at WFXR.
“What happened was a general manager, they had an article with the FOX station back then. At first, it was WJPR 21 and they merged with 27. But he had in there, they wanted to do high school games. So, I got in touch with them and I said hey I have done this, you know if you need someone I have done this. I would be glad to do it. We did that, we started in 1986 and the first game we did was Patrick Henry and Salem over at Salem Stadium,” said Ross.
From that moment, Dave has done a high school football broadcast each year. In 2014, Franklin County High School students picked up the production of high school games with Dave on the call. The games are currently online with Carl York’s Crunch Sports website.
Overall, Army veteran Dave Ross still has a strong appreciation for his fellow veterans.
“You realize how precious life is and how fortunate you are especially when you have been in a combat zone. I have never forgotten the many some 50,000 plus names on a wall in Washington, DC who served in Vietnam who never made it back and I want people to remember not just their sacrifices but those ones we have seen recently with Iraq and so forth and all the way back in World War II and all” said Ross.
Along with the high school football games, if you add the high school basketball, college football, and basketball games, Dave Ross has broadcasted more than 1,000 games since the early 1980’s.
