Bay Area sports fans mostly know Dave Flemming for his stellar work as a member of the San Francisco Giants broadcasting team.
But the Stanford grad also spent six seasons (2008-13) handling radio play-by-play duties for Cardinal football and now devotes many of his autumn days and nights crisscrossing the country to cover college football games for ESPN. Truly a man for all seasons (he also does college hoops for ESPN) and one of the hardest working sportscasters in America, Flemming, 45, took time recently to talk some football.
Q So why college football? Aren’t you busy enough?
A I’m definitely busy enough. But the feeling you get inside a jam-packed college football stadium, and the pride and the passion the fans have for their team, is different that any other sport. I’m not saying it’s better. It’s just different. Of course, it’s not all good. College football has had its share of scandals and other problems … But throughout history, it has given us some of the greatest spectacles in all of sports.
Q There has been talk about expanding the College Football Playoff. What’s your take?
A I’m open to it — with the hope that it works out the way we want it to work out. Sometimes these things lead to unintended consequences. Take the current playoff system. It has given us the most top-heavy era in college football — where three or four programs absolutely hog the bracket. I didn’t see that coming. I think expanding the playoff would alleviate some of that, but I don’t know for sure.
Q You’ve traveled the country covering football. Where’s your favorite place to go?
A Auburn, Alabama (Population less than 70,000). The stadium is not the fanciest, and neither is the broadcast booth. But there’s something about the vibe there. On game days, everyone in the town, it seems, is tailgating. And the students are so into it. The passion is incredible, and the town is so charming.
Q College football just doesn’t have the same kind of hold on the Bay Area. Is there anything the schools could do to change that?
A I wish they did a better job of marketing and reaching out to more than the alums. Obviously, the alums are the foundation of it all, and you need them. But in the effort to cater to them and procure every drop of revenue, the students and other fans get overlooked. It’s hard to find parking. You can’t just pull up and tailgate where you want to. That approach seems incredibly short-sighted. If I was in charge, I’d try to find ways to give up some of those dollars and think more long-term. More big-picture. How do we make it easier for more people to be here?
Q Best game you ever called?
A Stanford’s 2011 (56-48) upset of USC in triple overtime. Andrew Luck made probably the worst pass of his whole career. It was intercepted and run back for a touchdown with about two minutes to go in regulation (actually, 3:08). The LA Coliseum was shaking so hard, I thought it was going to collapse. Luck then led Stanford down the field to to tie the game. And in overtime, he scored on every possession. It was otherworldly.
Q You have such a crazy schedule. How do you keep track of everything?
A There are times when my head is swimming. But one thing that helps me is that I’m good at forgetting. I’ll do a game this week and you can ask me about it next week and I won’t be able to give you many details. It’s a weird skill. I can flush a game away and move on.
Q At the height of the pandemic, you had to ease up. How did you handle that?
A I really thought I would go out of my mind not being able to do the thing I love. But I must say, it allowed me to take a step back and learn to appreciate life in a different way. In my business, you can get consumed by the competitive nature of it: “Am I doing enough? Am I climbing the ladder?” That’s not a great way to approach life. The pandemic forced me to slow down and take stock. And, in a funny way, I now appreciate what I do even more. I’m having a blast.
Q Is doing the NFL on your bucket list?
A It’s not on my bucket list, but I’d like to give it a try sometime.
Q Do you have any football play-by-play sportscasters you particularly admire?
A I grew up on Pat Summerall. I can’t model after him, but I sure loved watching him. But Lon Simmons is my football broadcasting idol.
Q Stanford has beaten Cal in 10 of the past 11 meetings. You must feel sorry for Cal, right?
A (Laughing) I never feel sorry for Cal. And I’ll never apologize for a Big Game win.
