Oregon Daily Emerald
Tuesday, December 1, 2005
“God has a sense of humor. ”
Oregon women’s basketball play-by-play radio announcer Terry Jonz, who
was one of four brothers growing up and is now the father of four daughters.
■ In my opinion
JEFFREY DRANSFELDT
THREE TO WIN
Internship
in Nebraska
leaves deep
impression
He didn’t promise anything but his interest.
Weeks passed with exchanged e-mails and
phone calls.
The opportunity of an internship with a daily
newspaper proved worthy of waiting for. The mi
nor details: It was unpaid and it meant that this
life-long California resident had to move to a
small town in a state he had never seen before.
By reading this column, you, the daily reader,
can see the internship through managing editor
Mike Konz and The Kearney Hub in Kearney,
Neb., paid off because that intern was me, and
now I am fulfilling my dream as a sports writer.
What’s important about this experience? Many
people have had quality memories of hands-on
experience for a future occupation.
When Drake coach Amy Stephens and her
team played the University of Oregon Monday
night, memories of Nebraska fare, such as
rhubarb pie and Runza (hamburger, onions and
cabbage), filled my head.
Stephens, a former coach at Division II
power Nebraska-Keamey, had just started coach
ing at Drake in 2003 when I interviewed her on
her former point guard Nicole Gruntorad.
The ensuing feature I wrote resulted in one of
numerous experiences I gained writing for a daily
newspaper. For a recently graduated high school
student, leaving in the summer of 2003 and
spending six weeks in Nebraska left me with
more knowledge gained than I thought possible.
If you have the chance for an internship —
even if it’s small — take it.
I conformed to a dress code, worked from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. and covered sports, news and
features. The natural writer in me shuddered at
taking photos, but I grew to enjoy shooting
front-page art.
I would never have considered tasting rhubarb
pie or Runza without Konz’s helpful nudging.
Cultural and lifestyle differences came too. I
had faithfully driven my car to school each day
only to switch to riding a bicycle to work.
Changes, although requiring adjustments, also
came with benefits.
I witnessed and covered high school basketball
at its finest in the Mr. Basketball and Miss Basket
ball tournaments. Top basketball talents from
across the country visit Kearney every summer.
The alumni list is revealing: Chicago Bulls guard
Chris Duhon, Memphis Grizzlies forward Mike
Miller and New York Knicks forward Channing
Frye to name a few.
The player I remember most is Josh Dotzler of
Creighton. He possessed extraordinary vision and
found teammates with pinpoint accuracy.
I experienced many new things, including writ
ing an article on an annual car show and visiting
the Archway Monument, which commemorated
the old wagon trail.
Looking back, it’s easy to forget details, but
the true effect — becoming a stronger writer
and gaining a willingness to try new things —
lasts a lifetime.
jdransfeldt@ daily emerald, com
Zane Rrrr | Photographer
Terry Jonz, the new voice of Oregon women’s basketball, called the Ducks’ victory over Drake Monday, including
Cicely Oaks’ layup.
HEARD BY MANY,
Eugenean Terry Jonz couldn't
refuse KSCR's offer to become
Oregon's new radio announcer
BY SCOTT J. ADAMS
SPORTS REPORTER
Terry Jonz’s story of becoming the new
voice of Oregon women’s basketball
starts with a noticeable L-shaped scar
on his right elbow. The surgical wound fol
lowed an injury he suffered while pitching
for Oregon State in the early 1970s. For
Jonz, the injury ended one career and
began another.
Jonz’s journey to covering women’s bas
ketball at Oregon is the result of his
odyssey both to and from his hometown of
Eugene. His elbow injury was just the be
ginning for him. With it, he shelved his
cleats and textbooks and entered the work
ing world after two years of college. One
thing he kept in his back pocket was his
dream of becoming a play-by-play an
nouncer. Because he was in need of a well
paying job he could only find elsewhere,
his career behind the microphone was left
for another day.
“Without baseball I didn’t see a need to
stay at Oregon State so I left early,” Jonz re
calls. “I wanted to get into the radio busi
ness but had to put that on hold. 1 started
working in finance for Honeywell.”
Jonz climbed the corporate ladder with
ease at Honeywell. The company sent him
to Ohio where he worked until a death in
the family brought him back to Eugene.
“My grandmother passed away and I
came home thinking I’d stay for only a few
days,” Jonz said. “It turned out to be
years. ”
Eugene felt like home for Jonz, who was
more accustomed to having the rolling hills
of the Willamette Valley as his backdrop.
“I asked people in Ohio if there were any
mountains around and they told me
‘yeah,’” Jonz said. “Then they pointed to
one no bigger than one of the hills you see
heading up 18th Street and I was like ‘you
got to be kidding me.’”
Staying in Eugene turned out to be
Jonz’s biggest career move. One of his co
workers at Honeywell had friends working
JONZ, page 14
Marathon champ shares wisdom
Alberto Salazar, a two-time Olympian and Oregon graduate,
spoke and went on a run with the Eugene Nike Running Club
BY KAI-HUEI YAH
FREELANCE REPORTER
It’s not every day that one has the oppor
tunity to meet with an icon.
The Eugene Nike Running Club received
such a treat when Alberto Salazar paid a
visit Wednesday.
“Too many people showed up, so we’ll have
to reschedule this,” joked Salazar as he began
his talk.
At the Eugene Nike Store, Salazar gave tips to
the approximately 15 runners at his talk. He
also went on a run with them on the trails lining
the Willamette River.
Salazar is a legendary marathon runner who
is best known for winning three consecutive
New York City Marathons from 1980 to 1982.
He also won the Boston Marathon in 1982,
which was the only Boston Marathon he com
peted in. He was on the 1980 and 1984 Olympic
teams, and has spent the last 24 years promot
ing running with Nike as a part of the Nike Ore
gon Project, which trains Olympic-caliber ath
letes. In addition, Salazar has been a mentor
and coach to 19-year-old University track and
cross country star Galen Rupp.
“It’s especially fun for me to come back
here,” said Salazar, who helped Oregon win the
1977 NCAA cross-country title and is a former
co-owner of the Oregon Electric Station. “This
is where Nike started. There’s a lot of history
and heritage. It kind of brings me back to where
we all started.”
“Keeping running going strong in this town
is still very important for us. It’s my paycheck
and also my hobby,” Salazar added.
Salazar offered running tips and fielded ques
tions before going on a run with the club. He
stressed that runners should seek to develop
themselves as complete athletes because run
ning can be debilitating. He demonstrated a few
stretching techniques.
“You’re only going to be as flexible as your
least flexible tendon,” he said.
He also spoke about how much running has
changed since he was competing professionally
because of the improvements in running shoe
technology and sports medicine. Marathon run
ners are now able to train for 120 miles per
SALAZAR page 14
Kai-Huei Yau | Freelance Photographer
Alberto Salazar gives running tips during his visit with
the Eugene Nike Running Club Wednesday.