Last April, Gus Johnson revealed that he wouldn’t be calling NFL games for Fox this season thanks to his decision to go back to school as part of Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. Johnson has now completed that one-year program, and he did it while still calling college football and college basketball for Fox on the weekends. And his time at Harvard is going to be a large part of a newly-announced Back To School With Gus Johnson 60-minute special on him.
Appropriately, that special (a Fox Sports collaboration with Coaches+ Media) will premiere on Fox at 7 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, Feb. 18. That’s right ahead of a Michigan-Michigan State basketball game that Johnson will be calling. Here’s the trailer for that Fox released Monday:
And here’s more on it from a Fox release:
“FOX Sports is honored to shine a spotlight on Gus Johnson’s story from becoming one of the most iconic voices in all of sports to his truly inspirational new journey through academia,” said Charlie Dixon, Executive Vice President & Head of Content, FOX Sports. “Gus is a one-of-a-kind talent, and we couldn’t be more excited to give audiences a special look into his illustrious career and the impactful work he is doing at Harvard.”
From the broadcast booth to Harvard lecture room, BACK TO SCHOOL WITH GUS JOHNSON invites audiences along on Johnson’s journey beginning with his childhood in Detroit, studies at Howard University, the rise of his broadcasting career, and his recent return to academia at Harvard to reveal the man behind the mic. The film peels back the layers on his life history, his motivations to give back to others, and his future aspirations.
“I was nervous about letting people into my life, but I thought if I could show kids through my journey that education is cool, it was worth it,” said Johnson. “I think this is a really good story and hope that it inspires. I also hope fans enjoy watching some fantastic folks at a great school, and get new insights into sports as well as the pursuit of lifelong learning.”
Chris Weber will serve as director and producer for this special. The special is produced by Coaches+ Media, in association with Rise and Fire and TeamWorks Media. Its film’s executive producers are Johnson, Craig Robinson, and Jay Sharman (both from Coaches+Media), as well as FOX Sports’ Eric Shanks, Mark Silverman, Barry Nugent, and Dixon.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.