By Tim Melton
In the sports world, participants strive to attain wins and avoid losses. In January, the most dramatic loss for Thompson Athletics was that of its cherished voice. My heart still aches over the unforeseen death of legendary play-by-play broadcaster Jerry Young. The man I knew was worthy of all the various accolades shared thus far in 2024. He remains deeply missed.
Having worked with Jerry since 2012, I witnessed all the love he had for his chosen career path. He was thrilled that it eventually led him to Thompson High School. My vantage point allowed me to see Jerry put his entire self into every call he made. Fans heard it in his voice each time he put on the headset for the Warrior Nation Network. When it came to football season, Jerry never allowed a Friday night to go to waste. He always made it a point to arrive at the stadium early, as he had spent his entire week on all the required homework, constantly thinking up ways to make his broadcast even better. His workplace was his sanctuary. The stadium lights were his north star. He could not wait to make his way back, week after week and year after year. It felt like home.
Whether it was a gutsy two-yard gain up the middle, an 80-yard bomb for a touchdown, or a booming punt to secure better field position, Jerry never allowed his listeners to disengage from the intense action on the field. Every moment he articulated accumulated to tell the story of the night. His passion was simply unmatched. As a resident of Alabaster, Jerry’s love of calling the competition became rivaled only by his love of the community for which he was calling it.
And yet, it was everything I experienced with him away from the action that helped me fully form the opinions I hold about the man behind the microphone. Jerry always saw the position he had earned as a giant responsibility. If you ever attended a Thompson Warriors athletic event that Jerry was calling, then you likely saw him working through the crowd at a certain point. Jerry loved engaging with loyal fans. He would talk with them in the stands, at the gates, and in the parking lot long after the game had wrapped or connect with them later via social media. He was as much of an ambassador as he was a lead announcer. Whether the team was competing at home or away, Jerry always tried to secure face-to-face connections with those who arrived to support the students. We could never complete our journey to the press box without someone stopping to talk with Jerry. It was undoubtedly his favorite part of the job—those connections. He genuinely cared about every single person he spoke with. It was always meaningful to him.
The interpersonal moments I witnessed with the Warrior faithful are what actually produced the secret sauce of Jerry’s beloved broadcast style. Once we got up to the booth and the game got underway, Jerry would take immense pride in documenting all the exciting in-game chapters that he knew would one day become cherished memories for the ones directly involved down on the field of play. He never mailed it in. He gave everything he had during every competition he ever covered. Jerry’s role was too important for him to ever rest on reputation alone.
But now, as he takes his final rest, the reputation that he worked so diligently to earn lies in the hands of the people who knew him best. Along the way, there were long-time professionals whom he enthusiastically collaborated with, premiere athletes and coaches whom he covered with respect, a loving family that gave him the freedom and support to cement his legacy, and a faction of young broadcasters turned friends, like me, who only hope to continue making “The Voice of the Thompson Warriors” proud.
Tim Melton served as on-air host for the Warrior Nation Network during the 2023 Thompson High School football season. He launched his new Disrupt Media show – The Meltdown – as a part of The Next Round digital platform this past February.