(May 5, 2020) After living his entire life in Nebraska, Tommy Rezac is venturing outside the Cornhusker State. An STAA member, Rezac has joined KROX Radio in Crookston, MN. His on-air role includes play-by-play for University of Minnesota-Crookston athletics and various area high schools.
He learned of the opportunity in an STAA Job Leads email.
“The main draw was the chance to do play-by-play for an NCAA University,” Rezac says. “I had been doing Doane University (Nebraska) football on the radio, and that’s NAIA competition. It was a great start and a necessary step, but I felt I was ready to take the next step, and do play-by-play on a regular basis for an NCAA DII or DIII school.
“With the dream of being the radio voice of a major DI school or pro franchise, I saw the opportunity with KROX and the University of Minnesota-Crookston (NCAA DII) as a great step toward that.”
Rezac grew up in Nebraska, graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2017 and has worked at several radio and TV stations in the state. His resume includes one year as Sports Director at KLIN in Lincoln and nearly a year and-a-half as Sports and News Director at NewsChannel Nebraska.
“I don’t know if there’s ever a perfect time to leave Nebraska for me. I grew up there, and loved living there,” Rezac says. “But the top sportscasting jobs in Nebraska are coveted positions that rarely come open. I tried my hand at a couple Nebraska stations, and while it was tough to leave home, I felt it necessary to expand my horizons and try to work my way up the ranks in a different area.”
One thing Rezac believes set him apart in the KROX application process was inquisitiveness. “I asked a lot of questions, which I think is good. The more curious and serious you are about a position, the more questions you ask. I think it shows your prospective employer that they have your attention.”
Rezac joined STAA in 2016 at the start of his senior year in college.
“Being a member of STAA means having access to tools and resources that make you a better sportscaster. It’s a pretty easy way to network with others in the business, share your work, ask questions, hear from longtime pros and of course, the job leads are huge.”
One of those STAA job leads has provided Rezac his next career step in a new state.
“If my career allows me to return to Nebraska one day, I’m all for it. But until then, I plan to visit as much as I can,” he smiles.
(Visit Tommy’s website).