DAN SHUGART
Sports Director

When did you start working for WEAR-TV?
I first appeared on WEAR-TV in March 1981, as a weekend sports anchor. It was my first television job. I moved to WEAR full-time in August of 1981 as a General assignment news reporter and weekend sports anchor. I was promoted to Sports Director in December 1982, and have held that position since.

Where did you get your interest in sports?
My interest in sports comes from my father, and an All-American Basketball Player at the Naval Academy in 1947. My dad was an assistant coach at the academy when I was born in Annapolis in 1955, and it was dad who fostered my avid interest in golf.

Where did you live when you were young?
Growing up in the Navy, I lived all over the country: Virginia, Rhode Island, Hawaii...but mostly California.

What sports do you play?
I played baseball and basketball in high school and made a rather pathetic attempt to "walk on" to the baseball team during my freshman year at UCLA. With my serious competitive career behind me at age 19, I turned to volleyball and rugby in college, volleyball, with its coed division was a good idea. Rugby, which led to three knee surgeries, was more debatable. My frenetic youth(ten homes in 17 years) carried over to my academic career, where I careened from a Political Science Major to Psychology, Philosophy, and finally settling into History after developing a deep interest(and after the dean of students suggested it was time his career moved on). Defying all academic odds, I graduated from UCLA in 1979 with a Degree in History

What do you do with your time off?
Reading historical nonfiction remains my primary leisure activity away from sports

When did you move here?
I moved to Pensacola in 1980, where my parents were stationed. Rear Admiral Ken Shugart was Chief of Naval Education and Training. My mom, Muriel, was extremely active in local charities, and served as president of Pensacola Symphony.

Where did your broadcasting career begin?
I started as a weekend news reporter, moved quickly to weekday news, and in the fall of 1980, was Play By Play Announcer for the Pensacola Wings semipro football team. That led to an audition with WEAR-TV and my first television job the following spring. In addition to my duties at WEAR, I also freelance for WSRE-TV's broadcasts of PJC Basketball. I was Play By Play Announcer for Fox's Sportsouth's syndicated broadcast of Pensacola Ice Pilots Hockey Game in 1997.

What do you like to do with your spare time?
I enjoy spending my spare time at the beach, where I love the sand and water and playing golf where, ironically, I try to avoid the sand and water. I also coach a basketball team in the Salvation Army Youth League.

E-mail Dan: dshugart@weartv.com