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Mark Bruce calls Gridiron Glory “one of the most important and impactful things WOUB has ever done.” Bruce was the host of the high school football show for season six in 2004.

“Gridiron Glory is an institution, a known quantity across southeast Ohio,” said Bruce. “And that’s because of 25 years of college kids being creative. Gridiron allows creative, energetic students to live out their dream of covering sports and do awesome stuff which connects with the community. The college students then go on to use the experience they gained in their professional careers. Like I said, it’s one of the most important and impactful things WOUB has ever done and I’ve ever done.”

Bruce grew up in Licking County, near Newark, Ohio and came to 51���� wanting to become a sports journalist.

“I was going to be Keith Jackson and call the OSU/Michigan game,” said Bruce with a chuckle. “So, I got involved with Gridiron Glory as a freshman.”

But during his time at WOUB, Bruce also started working as a news reporter and anchor. He learned there might be more career opportunities if he went in that direction.

“There was a need in news for male news reporters,” said Bruce. “So, I continued to work on Gridiron, but I kept my options open.”

During Bruce’s sophomore year, he became the MVL reporter and was the first to do live shots from Zanesville for the show on Friday nights.

“Another student, Larry Shields, and I basically created the northern bureau,” said Bruce with a laugh.

During his senior year, Bruce became host, but he didn’t want to stop reporting for the show.  So, they developed a segment called “Fan of the Week.” It allowed Bruce to go to games, mix with the crowd in the stands, leave at half-time and be back to get ready for the 11:30 p.m. broadcast.

“We didn’t even cover the game,” said Bruce. “We just went up into the stands and the fans were insane, which made for great television.”

One significant event Bruce remembers well was when many of the Friday night games were flooded out due to the remnants of Hurricane Ivan coming through the region.

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“The games were moved to Saturday,” said Bruce. “So, we moved the show as well. I went out and stood in the flood waters on a high school football field to explain the situation.”

As Gridiron celebrates its 25th season, Bruce, who is now the corporate affairs manager at Kroger, says his time covering southeast Ohio football is something he still uses to connect with people in the region.

“Every time I’m in southeast Ohio and I tell people I was involved with Gridiron, they instantly know what it is,” said Bruce. “I spent several years as a news reporter in different TV markets, covering news and sports and using the skills I learned at WOUB. I’ve hosted a high school football call in show for a local radio station in Newark for the past 10 years. It proves I just can’t get away from covering high school football.”

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