Sports Media Faculty, Alumni Tapped for Emmys
Recognition spotlights top-notch professionals working in SHU
Update: Brian Thorne won a Sports Emmy Award for “Outstanding Technical Team Event” for his work at the College Football national championship game, Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs.
Two Sacred Heart University full time faculty members, Paul Pabst and Brian Thorne ’05, who teach in the sports communication & media (SCM) graduate program, have been nominated for Emmy awards for outstanding achievement in sports programming. Three alumni share the distinction as well.
Pabst and his team of three SCM graduates—Mario Miranda ’15 ’17, Rob Heineman ’19 and Ray Niver ’21—were nominated for “Outstanding Daily Studio Show” for producing The Dan Patrick Show. Thorne, who is also an alum, was nominated for “Outstanding Technical Team Event” (with ESPN) for his work at the College Football Playoffs’ national championship game (Alabama vs. Georgia, in Indianapolis, IN) and “Outstanding Studio Show―Limited Run” (with Golf Channel) for his production of Live From the PGA Championship in Kiawah Island, SC.
As the Dan Patrick Show’s producer, Pabst’s role is to provide Patrick with questions, topics and ideas for his popular radio and TV sports talk programs. “We get to work every day with Dan Patrick, the best in the business,” Pabst said. “The Emmy nomination is about recognition from our peers in the industry, which feels good. And I get to bring everything from the show back into the classrooms at SHU, so our students are learning about the most current topics in sports media.”
Miranda agreed, noting, “To be in a category against shows like SportsCenter and Pardon the Interruption is a feat in itself. I’m proud of the work we do day in and day out, and it’s an honor to be recognized for it.” Miranda hopes to produce his own show one day.
The nominations speak volumes about SHU, Pabst said, noting, “Having two faculty members and three former students up for the most prestigious award in sports media proves how strong the SCM department has become.”
He said Andrew Miller, SCM director, Thorne and he “basically invented the sports media graduate program at SHU a decade ago, and this is exactly what we had in mind.”
“Paul Pabst and Brian Thorne represent the professional expertise and experience that is the core of the SCM program,” Miller said. “They move regularly from broadcasting into the classroom, and due to their excellent teaching and mentoring, SCM produces tremendous alumni with exciting careers in the sports media industry.”
During Thorne’s work at the PGA, he ran a camera that traveled the course to various locations, and his coverage included breaking news, player updates and interviews. “I was fortunate enough to be shooting from the side of the 18th green as Phil Mickelson won the PGA championship, with a massive gallery in attendance,” Thorne recalled.
At the CFP championship, his coverage at the 50-yard line took days to set up, with a fiber optic team connecting camera positions and sets across the broadcast compound. “The most memorable moment from that game was a shot I had of (Georgia Bulldogs) head coach Kirby Smart as he raced 60 yards down the sideline after his defensive back intercepted a ball,” said Thorne.
He credited SHU’s highly skilled faculty for the success of its sports media department. “We continue to provide our students with not only working professionals who are professors, but professors who are being recognized as the best in their industry. I am grateful our students get to learn from the top people in our profession, like Paul,” Thorne said.
“This makes SHU more appealing to students looking to enter the broadcast industry. Sacred Heart doesn’t provide professors who are talking about what television was like 10 years ago. Our professors are talking about the new technology that we are part of creating today at the biggest events in the nation.”
Pabst expressed the same sentiment. “SHU has many strong programs, but I can say the SCM program, and the communication school as a whole, are among the most productive in preparing students for prosperous careers. Our students are all over the country, winning awards on the local and national levels.”
The 43rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards will air live at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall on Tuesday, May 24.
Pictured: Brian Thorne, left, and Paul Pabst