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Garrett Downing is part of an elite group of Gridiron Glory hosts. He is the third and final person to serve as host for two consecutive seasons.

“It means a lot to me to have been the host for two years,” said Downing. “Gridiron was really important to me in college and was a formative experience during my time at 51����. No doubt it played a huge part in my professional career and where I went after that point.”

Downing is currently the senior director of social media and digital host for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. He has been working for the Ravens for 13 years.

When Downing first arrived in Athens, back when he was a Cleveland Browns fan and the possibility of working for an NFL team wasn’t even on his radar, he got involved with Gridiron Glory before classes even started.

“I met some of the students working on Gridiron when I came to 51���� for precollege. So, I was super excited about the show before I even arrived on campus,” said Downing. “I came up to WOUB the first Friday night and tagged along with somebody to a game. I was just happy to be part of the show.”

As the season went on, Downing got more involved with Gridiron.

“I went to everything they would let me be a part of,” said Downing. “I went to games, carried bags, and answered the phone to get scores.”

By his sophomore year, Downing had a beat. He was the West Virginia reporter covering teams in Parkersburg.

“The Parkersburg teams were good and that meant that I was on the air almost every week talking about my games. It was so much fun.”

After that, for his junior and senior years, Downing was host. And he says he learned so much about how to be a media professional while also learning how important the show was to the local community.

“One summer I was interning at the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, and I had an interview with former major league baseball player Pete Rose, who was in town signing autographs at a sports memorabilia shop. I was standing next to Pete Rose, and someone tapped me on the shoulder. I thought he was going to ask me about Pete Rose, but instead he said, ‘Are you the guy from Gridiron Glory?’ That story, to me, illustrates how impactful Gridiron is and was in the local community. It provides a venue and outlet for parents, families and community members to be able to consume that content. And it’s a better production than you have at a lot of professional news organizations.”

When reflecting on the fact that the show is going into its 25th season, Downing says he’s not surprised.

“The show is really a staple in the southeast Ohio region,” said Downing. “I’m sure it will still be around 25 years from now.”

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