NFL Network’s Steve Wyche ‘incredibly humbled’ by Black College Football Hall of Fame induction

For a Howard University alum, this was a special honor.

NFL Network chief national reporter Steve Wyche was surprised to learn recently that he will be inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

Wyche is a graduate of one of the prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities and a champion of HBCUs. He has worked to raise the profile of these schools by participating in HBCU Legacy Bowl coverage and appearing on HBCU GO broadcasts.

Wyche is also one of NFL Network’s most prominent voices. After a long print journalism career that included stops at the Miami Herald, The Washington Post, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was a correspondent at ESPN before joining NFL Media in 2008.

We recently caught up with Wyche to discuss the Black College Football Hall of Fame and this weekend’s playoff games.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: What does it mean to be inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame?

Steve Wyche: “It’s totally overwhelming. When you think about the people in the Black College Football Hall of Fame, people like Doug Williams, James ‘Shack’ Harris, Mel Blount, Willie Lanier, Art Shell, and Antoine Bethea, I mean, there are just so many. One of my broadcasting idols is Charlie Neal. It’s absolutely overwhelming. I’ve never been nominated for any awards at any of the places I’ve worked. For this, I’m incredibly humbled, blown away, and feel very undeserving.”

How did you find out?

“Well, this is a great story. I’m actually on the selection committee. I was coming from the gym one day when James Harris and Doug Williams called me and talked about the class for two or three minutes. And then Doug said, ‘Yeah, there’s also somebody else, Steve Wyche.’ I said, ‘Ted White?’ because Ted White is somebody we’ve discussed, the former quarterback from Howard who’s now their head coach. They’re like, ‘No, Steve Wyche.’ It didn’t register for a good 15 to 20 seconds. When they said, ‘Congratulations, you’re going in,’ I had to pull over. I was driving. Like, ‘You guys are kidding me, man. It’s a prank.'”

Well deserved. Steve has been a tireless advocate for HBCU football, its schools, players and coaches for his entire career. https://t.co/0NHre4Ik6M

— stan verrett (@stanverrett) January 15, 2026

When you went to Howard, what did you want to be?

“I started out on the football team at the University of Missouri for a couple of years, then transferred to Howard. When I got to Howard, I stopped playing football and said, ‘Okay, let’s really get into this journalism thing’ because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I was an outside linebacker and defensive end. I was the editor of my high school newspaper and, at different points, the sports editor. So it’s something I’ve always wanted to pursue. When I got to Howard, I really got into it. I was the sports editor, then the editor of the community news, one of two newspapers on campus. I also worked my senior year about 20 hours a week at the Washington Post, covering high school football and basketball games. So I never knew this was going to happen, but Howard was awesome.”

What kind of impact have HBCUs had on the NFL? 

“Historically, you couldn’t have the NFL in its current state without HBCUs. Three players on the same Jackson State team, Walter Payton, Robert Brazile, and Jackie Slater, are all Pro Football Hall of Famers. You wouldn’t see half of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL be Black quarterbacks if it weren’t for Joe Gilliam from Tennessee State, James Harris from Grambling, and Doug Williams from Grambling. You might not know about Jerry Rice if he didn’t go to Mississippi Valley State and catch passes from Willie Totten. I think there are 36 or 37 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who went to HBCUs.”

Is there anyone at the induction ceremony you’re looking forward to meeting or seeing again?

“Well, my wife and mother, sure. I love all these guys. Doug Williams is my hero. I work a lot with Doug and see him a lot, but probably Charlie Neal. One of the highlights of my career is that I’m also fortunate to call games for HBCU Go as a color analyst. In 2024, I got to call an Arkansas-Pine Bluff game with Charlie. I’m like, man, ‘I’m standing here with the dean of Black College Athletics in the media.’ He’s a Black College Football Hall of Famer. Charlie was sick this year. He wasn’t able to call games. But he really was a guiding light for me.”

Switching to Sunday’s games, what do you think of the NFC Championship between the Rams and the Seahawks?

“It’s gonna be a great game. They’re familiar with one another. That’s the one thing: when you see these teams that are divisional opponents, it’s the third time playing. Anything can happen. It’s such an equal game because the Rams were lighting them up. I was at the game when they were up 30-16. And then the Rashid Shaheed punt return. To me, this is a total toss-up. I know the Sam Darnold thing is a wild card. I think he’s played well enough to win, but he’s also struggled against the Rams specifically. That one’s really tough to call. I’d probably say Seattle because they’re at home. But man, it’s a 51 to 49 hedge right here.”

What do you think of the AFC Championship between the Patriots and the Broncos?

“Losing your quarterback right now is a killer. But I think this is one of those things where it’s going to be such a rallying point that, unless Jarrett Stidham turns the ball over three or four times, I actually like Denver in this game. I’m a huge Patriots fan. I’ve been on their bandwagon all season long. But I think Denver at home with that defense and the fact that Stidham, man, it’s crazy. I’ve talked to a lot of people who have ties to Stidham, and they think he is more than capable of playing well and winning this ballgame.”

Denver’s Jarrett Stidham is the first QB to make their first career playoff start in a Conference Championship or later since Joe Namath (Jets) in the 1968 AFL Championship vs. the Raiders 👀 pic.twitter.com/pCaK4AfiUH

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) January 24, 2026

Which coaching hire intrigues you the most?

“Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta, because I think he’s a really good coach who had to deal with some difficult circumstances in Cleveland. He’s won Coach of the Year twice. But now he’s going back into an organization with some quarterback instability. If for nothing else, Michael Penix’s injury. What are they going to do in the meantime if he’s not healthy? The roster in Atlanta is really good, but I think that one’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out.”

What is one thing about covering the NFL that most people don’t know?

“It’s so different now. I think it’s hard now because of the saturation of media outlets to come up with unique angles to tell important stories. It’s very easy to be like, ‘Oh, Sam Darnold threw a lot of interceptions against the Rams, and that’s why the Seahawks don’t have a shot.’ Well, let’s come up with the angle. Why did that happen? Is it what the Rams have done against them? Is it something in Darnold’s head? How can you come up with an angle that’s unique?”

Do you still feel some unease about the future of NFL Network amid the looming ESPN deal?

“The unease is still there because this deal feels like it’s in the red zone, about to happen. Not knowing what your teammates’ futures are, or what your future is, is unsettling. I think it would be unsettling for anybody. At the same time, the majority of people I talk to at my job kind of go, ‘At least we know it’s here and not hanging over us.’ But it’s still, like you said, unsettling.”

Wyche’s official induction ceremony will take place in Atlanta on June 6.