Drake Athletics:
The Storytellers Behind Every Game
Passion. It’s a common thread among the broadcasters and game hosts for Drake athletics. Seven voices bring to life Drake football and men’s and women’s basketball, while two more amp up fans at the Knapp Center for basketball games.
Meet the personalities of Drake athletics!
Drake Men’s Basketball
Mike Swaim, Jr. (left) and Michael Admire (right)
“It’s been a fun run. All I know is 20-win seasons.”
Michael Admire
Mike Swaim, Jr.
- Role: Analyst for men’s basketball
- First season: 2024–2025
- Game-day fuel: Post-game smoothie
- Favorite road destination: Northern Iowa in February 2025
- Favorite Drake sports memory: Bennett Stirtz hits the winning shot to beat Kansas State in Kansas City on Dec. 17, 2024. “It was just pandemonium on the Drake bench!”
- Game-day tradition: Scouts opponents and identifies player tendencies. Sits in on pregame meetings to understand the game plan.
- Mike’s dad was an assistant basketball coach for Gary Garner for three seasons in the 1980s.
Michael Admire
- Role: Play-by-play radio broadcaster for men’s basketball and football (TV broadcasts); director of broadcasting at Drake University
- First season: 2018–2019
- Game-day fuel: Water
- Favorite road destination: Chicago. “The food scene is incredible.”
- Favorite Drake sports memory: Beating Bradley in March 2023 to win the Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
- Game-day tradition: Wearing D sweaters. Michael has three different colors.
“It’s been a fun run. All I know is 20-win seasons.”
Michael Admire
Drake Women’s Basketball
Randy Mauro (left) and Hunter Phillips (right)
Randy Mauro
- Role: Analyst for women’s basketball
- First season: 2016–2017
- Game-day fuel: Water. Post-game meal with his wife.
- Favorite road destination: Vancouver, British Columbia
- Favorite Drake sports memory: In March 2024, Anna Miller made a basket as time expired in the MVC tournament title game, securing back-to-back MVC tournament titles and qualifying the Drake women for the NCAA tournament.
- Game-day tradition: Watching warm-ups and getting dialed in. Preparing and knowing player tendencies to complement Hunter’s play-by-play action.
“My job’s to find that tidbit or that key to the game that maybe a fan’s not thinking about, and then just see how that plays out.”
Randy Mauro
“Back-to-back Bulldogs, and these dogs are dancing again!”
Hunter Phillips
Hunter Phillips
- Role: Play-by-play radio broadcaster for women’s basketball and Drake soccer matches
- First season: 2016–2017
- Game-day fuel: Water and Throat Coat tea. Cough drops are a must courtside.
- Favorite road destination: Anchorage, Alaska, for the 2016 Great Alaska Shootout, covering the Drake men’s basketball team. Vancouver, British Columbia, is a close second.
- Favorite Drake sports memory: In 2018, the Drake women’s basketball team went undefeated (18-0) for the second consecutive season in the Missouri Valley Conference regular season, and beat UNI to win the MVC tournament.
- Game-day tradition: Meticulous preparation, always being on time, and attention to detail before the game, including reviewing spot charts. Conducts a pregame interview with head coach Allison Pohlman, which has sometimes taken place in unconventional locations like outside an arena in Puerto Rico or on a park bench in Murray, Kentucky.
- Coined the phrase “Mahoney Magic” after Drake women’s soccer player Zoey Mahoney and her famous throw-in goal, which was featured as a Top 10 Play on ESPN.
- 2016 Drake graduate: Bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and history
“Back-to-back Bulldogs, and these dogs are dancing again!”
Hunter Phillips
Follow the voices of Drake University athletics on the radio.
ESPN Des Moines (102.1 FM and 1350 AM) is the flagship station for Drake football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball games. You can also listen to Drake broadcasts on the Varsity Network App and TuneIn radio.
Drake Football: An All-Alumni Team
Craig Wederquist
- Role: Analyst for Drake football
- First season: 2023
- Game-day fuel: Pregame meal with the players, cold Coke in the press box
- Favorite road destination: Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York
- Favorite Drake sports memory: Winning at Eastern Washington in 2024
- Game-day tradition: Bring a positive attitude to the press box. Focus on looking at things a coach would, like opponent stats, to understand how they are gaining yards.
- Played football at Drake as a starting offensive tackle under head coach Chuck Shelton, 1980–1983.
- 1984 Drake graduate: Bachelor’s degree in education
“Sometimes, I think Chuck Reed knows if a kid ties his left shoe first before he ties his right one.”
Craig Wederquist
Chuck Reed
- Role: Play-by-play radio broadcaster for Drake football
- First season: 2012
- Game-day fuel: Diet Coke
- Favorite road destination: San Diego
- Favorite Drake sports memory: Beating Eastern Washington (a scholarship team) in 2024 and going 8-0 in the 2023 Pioneer League. Upon clinching the conference championship, Chuck turned and hugged Craig Wederquist, Drake football radio analyst.
- Game-day tradition: Normally the first person after the equipment manager to arrive at the stadium on game days. Game-day prep includes conversations with the opposing team’s sports information directors and coaches.
- Chuck regularly attends football practice and studies the players.
- 1985 Drake graduate: Bachelor’s degree in radio and television
Game Host
Sean Roberts
- Role: In-game host for Drake men’s basketball
- First season: 2019–2020
- Favorite Drake sports memory: Double-overtime victory against Northern Iowa in February 2023
- Game-day tradition: Arrives early to make his rounds, greet people, and be one of the faces of the game-day atmosphere.
