Joey Dwyer loved broadcasting SPHL hockey last season for the Quad Cities Storm. He is from QC and enjoyed the organization. The job, though, was part-time. Therefore, when Dwyer saw in an STAA Job Leads+ email that SPHL foe Macon had a full-time opening, he leapt into action. Now, Dwyer is the new Broadcaster/Account Executive for the Mayhem.
“Once I applied, Quad City Storm President Brian Rothenberger put in a good word for me in Macon and I got an interview,” Dwyer recalls. The rest, as they say, is history.
“Being from the Quad Cities and a life-long hockey fan, I loved my time with the Storm,” Dwyer states. “Their broadcasting position was through a company, QCSportsNet, that was contracted to do the games so I was operating on a part-time basis. The QCSportsNet guys are awesome and treated me so well, but after I graduated from Illinois State, I was looking for a full-time position. With my SPHL experience, I felt comfortable finding my footing in the league.”
Dwyer is the second STAA member to broadcast for Macon. Alex vonKeudell spent two seasons there after being hired in 2018. Dwyer joined STAA this year. “The combination of advice and job opportunities really made it a no-brainer for me!”
Dwyer has been broadcasting since his freshman year at Illinois State University in 2017. He started at campus radio station WZND. “I touched on every facet of radio. I served as the production director and assistant sports director as well as being a DJ and hosting a weekly sports talk show.”
Hockey’s speed makes it Dwyer’s favorite sport to broadcast. “The pace of hockey along with my existing knowledge of the game makes it fun and a somewhat seamless call for me. Also from what I’ve found in minor league hockey, you seldom come across someone with [bad] intent. Everyone is there to help one another succeed. It’s such a cool environment to be a part of.”