NORFOLK, Va. – The first time I heard Ted Alexander do a radio broadcast of an Old Dominion men's basketball game, I realized ODU had hired someone unlike any lead broadcaster for a university athletics program that I had ever heard.
He does play-by-play with a different kind of flair, one that's difficult to describe. He's not the pompous old-school guy who drones on in a monotone, nor is he the young guy who screams into the microphone every time the home team makes a basket.
His style is unique. He's energetic without being over the top. He talks non-stop, spitting out humorous one-liners, stats and trivia, and along the way, gives ODU fans the best play-by-play description of football, basketball and baseball I've ever heard.
In five years at working with Ted at ODU, I've never seen him have a "down" day, and that's obvious from his broadcasts. Whether he's doing a women's soccer game for ESPN+, or a football bowl game, Ted is always on.
And most importantly, if the Monarchs aren't playing well, he'll give you a frank description of how the team is playing.
Regardless of who is signing his paychecks, he tells it like it is.
Leave it to Andy Mashaw, the Norfolk firefighter who does color commentary for ODU football, to describe Ted in a nutshell
"Ted was a DJ when he broke into the business. And that's what Ted is, a DJ. He's a DJ doing play-by-play," he said. "I don't know anybody else who could pull off that style like he does, but he does it so well."
Yes, he does, which is why everyone at ODU was excited to learn on Thursday that Ted is a member of the latest class to be inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Media Hall of Fame.
He joins Debbie White and Carol Hudson, who worked decades in sports publicity at ODU, and who were previous inductees into the hall of fame, which is located at Langley Speedway in Hampton.
Five Inducted into Hampton Roads Sports Media Hall of Fame
Others in the hall's class of 2023: Sonny Dearth, the long-time Daily Press and Virginian-Pilot reporter who has often covered ODU tennis; the late Bob Moskowitz, a long-time Daily Press reporter; the late Jackie Bowe, the flamboyant public address announcer for Norfolk State who manned the PA for the 1999 Final Four and the late Ron Pinkney, the former Hampton University broadcaster.
Ted and Laurie Alexander
Ted was hired to do ODU men's basketball in 2007 and then ODU football in 2009. In 2011, Dr. Wood Selig, ODU's director of athletics, wisely hired him full-time.
Ever since, he's been the Mr. Everything in the athletic department. He does videos for the odusports.com website, emcees dozens of events and even once stood in for Cathy Lewis, when she was sick, to emcee a State of the University event.
Former ODU All-American Dave Twardzik, the color commentator for ODU men's basketball, said Ted often has him laughing with his one-liners, which often revolve around songs from Ted's previous career as a DJ.
Once, when he made a reference to Shakira, Twardzik was baffled.
During a timeout, Ted said, "No reaction to the Shakira comment?" Twardzik replied, "I guess she's a singer?"
Twardzik said Ted is always entertaining, even when he's describing a ho-hum game.
"Sometimes when I take my headset off, I ask him 'What game are you watching?'"
But Twardzik respects Ted's insistence on telling it like it is.
"If we're not playing well, Ted will say so," Twardzik said. "That's unusual for a broadcaster who works for a university. But Ted values his credibility."
James Witham, the sideline reporter and color analyst for ODU football broadcasts, said "our football broadcast is one of the most straight-up and honest out there.
"When you listen as a fan, you want to hear the truth. And if something needs to be said, he'll say it.
"That's part of the entertainment value of our broadcasts. He's going to be honest and entertaining.
"He understands the tact that comes with that. It's kind of an art form to say what he does without being pricklish about that."
Ted's tell-it-like-it-is philosophy extends to those working with him. Mashaw and Witham say they've been given sage advice from Ted on how to be better broadcasters, although sometimes it comes with a little well-meaning sarcasm.
I am part of the pre-game broadcast crew for football games – I do a one-minute segment sponsored by Harris Teeter. "So, Harry, what are you going to talk about this week, and please don't make it boring like last week," Ted told me before one broadcast.
It was delivered with a smile, and it was something I needed hear. I made it a point to not be boring.
"If something sucks, Ted is going to tell you," Mashaw said. "He wants his broadcast to be the very best."
It's certainly among the most interesting. When Ted figures that a game is in hand, he says, "the dress is in the bag."
If you're baffled by that, I learned recently that it refers to an obscure line uttered in an episode of Little Rascals.
One of his most memorable lines came with 1:34 left in ODU's stunning, 49-35 upset of nationally ranked Virginia Tech at Foreman Field in 2018, after Jeremy Cox ran 40 yards for a touchdown.
After describing the TD, Ted allowed a moment of silence.
Then he said: "Check please."
Ted is rarely a man of few words, but was when I asked him about the hall of fame induction.
"It's a great honor," he said. "It means you've been around the block for a while.
"It's pretty cool. I don't get a lot of awards. It's nice to be recognized."
ODU basketball coach Jeff Jones with Dave Twardzik and Ted Alexander
I travel with Ted, Witham, Mashaw and Eric Bohannon, the associate athletics director who handles football publicity, on ODU football roads trips. And when you spend time with Ted, you realize that deep down inside, he's a mushy, sentimental guy.
He always takes us out to dinner the night before a game and buys us dinner. When you talk to him about personal problems, he listens and offers good advice.
"At times he's got a rough exterior, but he's got such a kind heart," Mashaw said.
And at times a stubborn streak. When Ted, Eric and I were covering the 2021 NCAA Baseball Regional at the University of South Carolina, Ted was having issues with the rental car – at times, the car would not go into reverse.
As Ted was pulling into the parking lot, Eric warned Ted not to pull into a parking space head first. Ted did so anyway and after the game, Eric and I waited an unusually long time for Ted to retrieve the car and come pick us up.
Eric was right: Ted could not back out and had to drive the car down a hill through brush and small trees. It took a while.
Witham remembers the time he and Ted were walking down a street in Hartford, Connecticut on an ODU football road trip, and Ted was talking about something so intensely he nearly stepped into traffic.
Witham pulled him out of the line of fire just before a car was about to crash into him.
"Ted says, 'Well, I guess I should be more attentive and not die in Hartford,'" Witham said.
"Without missing a beat."
Ted has a little fear of heights, and when the football team played in the Bahamas Bowl, he walked to the top of tall water slide, one that advertised it would whiz you past sharks. He had second thoughts but of course, there was no way for him to walk back down.
So, he dove into the slide and said, "Don't forget the reads," referring to the radio script.
Broadcasting is a crazy and sometimes cruel business and before he came to ODU, he worked for numerous TV and radio stations. He was twice fired and had to get back up on his feet and quickly find another job.
If you've ever been fired, with a wife and two daughters depending on you, you know what Ted went through. It's scary to be told the paychecks and healthcare for your family end next week.
I asked Ted earlier this week, what was one of the best lines he ever delivered.
"Why did you fire me?" he replied.
His sense of humor never turns off.
After being fired, he hustled and quickly found other jobs and took care of his family.
That includes his wife, Laurie, who has so far been successful in her long-term fight against cancer. Ted spends as much time with her as he can. And Twardzik says family always comes first for the voice of the Monarchs.
"Ted has his priorities straight," Twardzik said. "He loves his job, and he loves Old Dominion.
"But that's all secondary when it comes to his wife and two girls.
"Ted is a great family man."
And a great sportscaster who richly deserves the honor he received Thursday.
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
ODU Radio Voice Ted Alexander Inducted into Hampton Roads Sports Media Hall of Fame
