Jessica Coody makes OU men’s basketball history
NORMAN, Okla. (BVM) — Making history in sports can be a daunting task. But for Jessica Coody, one game solidified her legacy in Oklahoma University sports history.
When the Oklahoma Sooners’ football game against West Virginia was moved to Dec. 12, and with the possibility of the Sooners making another Big 12 Championship game appearance on Dec. 19, conflict arose when it came to which broadcasters would be calling those games. Because it just so happened that OU men’s basketball games were also scheduled for those same days.
“Toby [Rowland] would be with football, the other backups that would be here that we could shuffle around to do radio, would be with football,” Coody said. “Chad McKee, who does a lot of our TV broadcasts, [was] moved over to radio. So, that’s where I kind of stepped in to fill in for TV. It was a shuffling act to deal with the conflict with football.”
Coody has been doing play-by-play for a handful of years, calling women’s basketball, softball and wrestling. No matter what sport it is, Coody was thrilled about the opportunity that was presented to her.
Cleared for takeoff 🛫🛫🛫
📺 FSSW | https://t.co/FInOInHE0t pic.twitter.com/pIXLpJpLuT
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) December 12, 2020
“I’m new to play-by-play,” Coody said. “It’s something I want to continue to do. I’ve had some conversations with Patty Gasso, our softball coach, about how we need more women calling women’s games. It’s awesome what women are doing in the men’s game, but even for the women’s game, you want a voice that represents who’s playing. She [Gasso] was talking about how we need more women calling softball games. I feel the same way about women’s basketball, so I started doing more with women’s basketball. I called some softball scrimmages over the fall. And at first, I thought it was just another opportunity to do play-by-play.”
But it turned out to be something more than another opportunity.
A woman had never done TV play-by-play before for the OU men’s basketball program. The only woman to come close was renowned ESPN analyst Doris Burke, who did color commentary for an OU men’s game in the past. But Coody broke down a barrier the night of Dec. 12 as the Sooners matched up against Florida A&M, and it drew the attention of OU alum and current NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales, who reached out to Coody via Twitter.
Amazing Jessica! But I’m not surprised. You deserve this, and will continue to shine!💪
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) December 12, 2020
Bob Carpenter, who does play-by-play for the Washington Nationals, also reached out via Twitter.
Proud of you, Jess! Now go get ‘em for the next 30 years or so! 🏀🎙
— Bob Carpenter (@scorebook_bob) December 18, 2020
In a year that has been full of challenges for so many, this was one of the better moments 2020 provided, and the hope is that 2021 provides many more.
Now Coody, who has been with Sooner Sports TV for decades, will continue down the road only a few have been able to travel down. Viewing herself as a storyteller, she draws inspiration from Tom Rinaldi.
“Tom Rinaldi is my hero,” Coody said. “Is there a better feature storyteller in sports than Tom Rinaldi? No, there’s not. I think when you find out what you want to do, you don’t have to limit it to one person you look up to, inspired by, or how you shape your career.”
She will continue to call games for the Sooners. But for right now, she is going to be focusing on the storytelling. And she is going to try and be a beacon for younger women who want to get into sports broadcasting.
“When I was growing up, I only saw [women] as sideline reporters,” Coody said. “I still look up to women who are trailblazing. I do think it’s important for young women to be able to see that they can do anything they want in the sports broadcasting world. [But] if you’re a woman, you don’t have to follow and be inspired by [just] women. It’s important that everyone is represented.”
