ATHENS – Georgia finally made it official: D.J. Shockley will be the new sideline reporter for Georgia Bulldog Radio Network’s football broadcasts.
Shockley, who as Georgia’s quarterback led the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship in 2005, will succeed Chuck Dowdle in reporting news from the Georgia bench during football games. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the news last month.
Along with Loran Smith, that makes Shockley one of only three people to hold the job in the history of Georgia football.
“How perfect is that? I wore No. 3 and now I’m the third; that’s pretty good symbolism there,” Shockley said with a laugh Thursday. “It works out great, and I’m really excited about it.”
Shockley also becomes the first Black person to work full-time on Georgia’s radio broadcast crew. The Bulldogs’ games have been offered via syndicated radio broadcast since the 1950s, when Ed Thilenius did play-by-play.
“You know, I never even thought about that,” Shockley said. “Go be in this role and have that kind of distinction, I’ll take it. It’s a huge honor, and I’m proud to represent anybody and everybody. I’m just glad that Georgia felt as though I was worthy of having a significant role.”
Scott Howard kicks off his 15th season as the play-by-play announcer and his 28th as a member of the Georgia broadcast team. Former UGA All-American quarterback Eric Zeier will return for his 15th season as the Bulldogs’ color analyst.
In addition to his role as sideline analyst, Shockley will be featured prominently on the radio network’s pregame coverage. Shockley also regularly assists Georgia and with its IMG Learfield College in-house productions and events.
Shockley’s UGA appointment comes amid several other professional developments for him this year. Fox 5 Sports hired him as its sports director and anchor last month. He also does a weekly show and a podcast for the Falcons, for whom he played immediately after college. All that has forced Shockley to give up analyst work for the SEC and ACC networks.
Still, it will be a very busy fall. Shockley said he will be involved in Fox 5′s popular “High 5 Sports” on Friday nights when Georgia is playing in Athens. However, he will be off when the Bulldogs play away. Georgia opens the season against Clemson in Charlotte on Sept. 4.
“This is pretty cool; I’m not gonna lie,” Shockley said of his UGA gig. “I’m thrilled to be able to come back to Georgia and have this kind of role. Obviously, Chuck has done it for a while now and been a great representative. So to have this opportunity is something I’d have been crazy to pass on, and I’m just excited and glad they wanted me to be a part of it.”
Shockley will be part of 15 hours of football coverage provided by the Georgia Bulldogs Network each weekend in the coming season. On game days, programming on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network will begin four hours before kickoff with the “DawgTalk” pregame show with Jeff Dantzler and Kevin Butler. A “tailgate show” begins three hours before kickoff, with host Neil “Hondo” Williamson. Williamson will be joined throughout the tailgate show by Howard, Zeier, Shockley and Smith, who will celebrate his 50th year as a member of the Bulldogs’ broadcast team.
Following the play-by-play and locker-room report featuring coach Kirby Smart, Dantzler and Butler wrap up the broadcast Saturday with the “Dawg Talk” postgame show. In addition to the game-day coverage, the Georgia Bulldog network will present additional programming in the form of “Bulldog Brunch” from 10 a.m. to noon Sundays following games, with Dantzler and Butler, and “Bulldogs Live” from 7-9 p.m. Thursdays. The first hour of “Bulldogs Live” will feature Smart with Howard as host, while the second hour will feature “Hondo and Bulldog All Stars” with Williamson and former Georgia players.
The Georgia Bulldog Network is available statewide on over-the-air affiliates, including flagship WSB 750 AM and 95.5 FM. All network programming is also available streaming free via the Georgia Bulldogs app.
