Rece Davis showed up for work on the set of College GameDay around 1 a.m., local time Saturday, more than 18 hours ahead of Cal’s game against No. 8 Miami.
Nearly 24 hours later he completed one of the longest days of his career after calling the Cal-Miami game which he had learned the day before, he was calling due to Dave Flemming missing the game with a personal matter.
Like a good employee, Davis stepped in for the 7:30 p.m. (PDT) start. It became apparent during the game that Davis was losing his voice.
Rece Davis has put in a literal full day of work at ESPN, from College GameDay to calling Cal-Miami on short notice. Get that man ALL the herbal tea for his effort today. 👏 pic.twitter.com/vUCnhYbg3B
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 6, 2024
No wonder Davis’ voice sounded so rough — he’d been on the job since the middle of the previous night (that 10:30 p.m. (ET) start and time zone change adds an aura of mystery to how long Davis was really on the job at Berkeley, but it worked out to around a 22-hour day).
Davis earned kudos from fellow sports media pros and fans for his ironman stunt. NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson posted on X, “@ReceDavis = football guy. … When you get to this point, you don’t want to talk – or hear anyone talk. But he’s powering through like a champ. Much respect, Rece!”
Just to echo what’s being said about 1 of the best in the industry: @ReceDavis = football guy.
When you get to this point, you don’t want to talk – or hear anyone talk. But he’s powering through like a champ.
Much respect, Rece!— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) October 6, 2024
Guys, Rece Davis was not even supposed to be calling this game and has been up and working since like 4 am, and he may be about to call a top-10 upset with no voice. https://t.co/NjBO1QRdox
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 6, 2024
Rece Davis is a an absolute warrior.
— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) October 6, 2024
How the day started ➡️ How it’s going for ESPN’s @ReceDavis
Rece began his Saturday w/ @CollegeGameDay at @UCBerkeley almost 14 hours ago. He’s now on the call of Miami-Cal on ESPN, riding the adrenaline of the #Calgorithm. #ACCAfterDark pic.twitter.com/10hXLet6dm
— bill hofheimer (@bhofheimer_espn) October 6, 2024
Rece Davis we love you (and can bring lozenges). 😍 pic.twitter.com/qGATBi7zT3
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 6, 2024
That’s quite a work shift for someone who started off on College GameDay that morning discovering they’d worn a tie with Cal’s archrival Stanford’s colors.
Cal fans did not like Rece’s red tie, so something had to be done 😂 pic.twitter.com/fhuAKFRLe2
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 5, 2024
[Stewart Mandel]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.