Midland's Chris Shovlin inducted into PA Association of Broadcasters HaIl of Fame

Throughout radio broadcast history in Pittsburgh, fans of both professional and collegiate sports have been gifted with many great broadcasters that hit the airwaves, and on April 26, longtime Robert Morris play-by-play broadcaster and Midland native Chris Shovlin joined two Pittsburgh greats as he was inducted into the PA Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame during an induction ceremony in Harrisburg, PA.

Shovlin has served as the lead play-by-play voice of RMU basketball and football for over 35 years and over those three and a half decades of being “The Voice of the Colonials,” he has called several instant classic games in Robert Morris, including National Invitational Tournament victories over Kentucky and St. John’s respectively in 2013-14, Northeast conference championship victories and the past six NCAA tournament trips the Colonials have made.

After winning three Achievement in Radio awards, and being inducted into the RMU Athletics and Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame, for Shovlin, the induction to the PAB is a career-defining moment.

“This is a landmark that I thought that I would never achieve during my time as a broadcaster,” Shovlin told the Beaver County Times. “Career-wise, this just means absolutely everything. I can’t believe that broadcasters like Bill Hillgrove and Ray Goss who have been doing it forever, to be included with those guys and do it in the birthplace of broadcasting in Pittsburgh Pa., and Pennsylvania in general, to be included in that history and with those two guys, I am blown away.”

Even though the aforementioned Hillgrove and Goss are not much older than Shovlin, the Midland native had the opportunity to grow up listening to those two voices on the air as he was growing up and started to work in the profession at Westminster College and WBVP in Beaver County.

Now after being inducted, Shovlin joins Hillgrove and Goss as the third Pittsburgh collegiate broadcaster to be inducted into the PAB which was a special moment for the Robert Morris broadcaster to reflect on.

“Just to be a part of the tradition of broadcasting in this city means a lot to me,” Shovlin said. “I like to think that I have sort of a place in history in Pittsburgh radio and TV, but to be with those two guys, [Hillgrove & Goss] and apart of this tradition of guys that I have grown up listening two and guys that I have gotten to then work with, it is a heck of a feather in my cap, I am just happy to work with all of these guys because I have been able to call them both friends and colleagues over the years which has meant everything to me.”

With two of the voices of collegiate sports in Pittsburgh being inducted into the Pennsylvania Broadcasters Hall of Fame, that sparked Robert Morris Senior Associate Athletic Director Marty Galosi to nominate the Colonials commentator which came as a surprise to Shovlin when he found out he was up for nomination.

“When Marty [Galosi] saw that Bill [Hillgrove] and Ray [Goss] got into the PAB due to their time broadcasting college basketball, Marty ended up calling the PAB and said ‘He wanted to nominate our guy,’” Shovlin said. “He talked to the President of the PAB Joe Conti, and got the ball rolling. The next thing that I knew, after he sent my resume in, Marty called me back and said they were going to put me in. After that, I started to get emails from Joe Conti and the PAB and I was floored. It was Marty's belief in me at Robert Morris that he thought that highly of me to think that I belonged in there.”

The Pennsylvania Broadcasters Hall of Fame Ceremony took place at the Harrisburg Hilton and during the ceremony, a number of awards were given out to a multitude of broadcasters across the state including the two Hall of Fame inductees Shovlin for his work in the field of radio, and Keith Blaisdell the Chief Engineer for abc27-WHTM Television in Harrisburg for his work in TV.

Robert Morris’ broadcaster was caught off guard when he heard himself being recognized at the very beginning of the ceremony and became emotional during his acceptance speech to the Hall of Fame as he was soaking in the moment.

“The Luncheon started right at noon, and I was just sitting there with my family and a whole bunch of people from Robert Morris along with a few other friends, and they said that they were going to give out the first award 30 seconds into the luncheon. After they announced the first award, they started to play my induction video and when I got up to give my speech, I was overcome with emotion,” Shovlin said. “I wasn’t ready to talk at all but I was able to give my speech and then get to enjoy the rest of the program “

By his side at the luncheon were his wife brother, sister-in-law, daughters, and numerous Robert Morris Athletics staff members past and present which included Galosi, Vice President and Athletic Director Chris King, football broadcast partner Ray “Smoke” Thomas, Adam Gusky, RMU men’s basketball Sports Information Director Ryan Gavatorta, TJ Brown and Rob Goodman. Former RMU SID and broadcast partner Jim Duzyk who is now the SID at Duquesne University also made the trip to Harrisburg.

Shovlin believes that outside of his immediate family, he has two other families that he has grown close with over the years in his work as a broadcaster and in other professional ventures which made celebrating his induction even more special.

“I have three families,” Shovlin said. “I have my own family, I have my Robert Morris family and I have my Lincoln Park family. This is what this award truly means to me because I get to share it with everyone. This is not just my award that I am receiving, this is my wife’s award, my kid's award, Robert Morris’ award and Lincoln Park’s award. It is a team award there is no question about that.”

As Shovlin gets head back up into the booth at Joe Walton Stadium in the fall and courtside at the UPMC Events Center in the winter for his 36th year as the “Voice of the Colonials,” The induction into the PAB is an experience that Shovlin will not soon forget as he continues his broadcasting career.

“They rolled the red carpet out for not just me, but for my family, colleagues and friends. I will appreciate that forever. What they did to make that a special weekend, I couldn’t believe how they treated a kid from Midland, Pa. in Harrisburg it was a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life.”

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Midland's Chris Shovlin inducted into PA Association of Broadcasters HaIl of Fame