(upbeat music) - [Alison] This week on "The A List," I learned all about the memorable career of one of the most distinctive voices in sportscasting history.

- The boss brought me in, and asked me, "What are you doing?"

(both laugh) I said, "Well, I'm just having fun, and you know, I get energized and fired up when there's a great play."

He said, "Well, you're certainly generating a lot of mail.

In fact, you get more mail, or we get more mail about you than everybody but Larry King.

(Alison laughs) Larry King was the king back then.

So I was like, "Wow, that's interesting."

- [Alison] Join me as I talk with sports announcer and reporter Van Earl Wright.

Coming up next on "The A List."

(upbeat music) If you're a long-time sports fan, you'll probably be familiar with Van Earl Wright's larger-than-life on-air presence.

With a broadcasting career spanning more than three decades, he has shared his infectious sports fandom with regional and national audiences on CNN, Fox Sports Net, and a host of local stations across the country.

If his name isn't memorable enough, you'll no doubt recognize his one-of-a-kind voice and the trademark Southern charm reflected in his delivery of some truly unique catchphrases.

These days, you'll find Van Earl on the golf course, where he's enjoying a new life chapter, traveling the country as a caddy.

I had the chance to sit down with Van Earl at CreeksBend Golf Club, a place where he feels right at home.

- Title.

- Well, van Earl, welcome to "The A List."

- Thank you so much, esteemed company.

- Well, I- - That I've been invited to join.

- I'm a little intimidated, because I mean, anybody who's listening, and all of a sudden, if they're not even watching the TV, their ears just perked up, because they heard that voice, (Van Earl laughs) and they knew it was very familiar, and I'm sure you get that a lot.

- It's interesting.

Yes.

Well, every now and then.

(Alison laughs) Every now and then, but the name helps as well.

Some, since I've been caddying, some golfers say, "Well, only Van I've ever heard of is guy that used to be a sports guy."

I'm like, "That's me."

(Alison laughs) "Really?"

"Yep, that's me."

"What the, what are you doing out here?"

- And we're sort of starting at the end of the story.

I mean, we're at CreeksBend right now so that we can have sort of the ambiance to let people know where you are now, which is, you know, circling the country as a caddy.

But I'd like to start at the beginning, and how you got here.

- Let's do it.

- Well, I really wanna start just at South Carolina, because I know you talk about that you weren't just born to go to that school.

You were sort of conceived to go to that school, a long line of rights, and your family members who went to University of South Carolina.

- We never had much expansive thinking (Alison laughs) when it came to choosing our college.

Everybody chose the same one.

I considered being different and considered College of Charleston, but Dad was quite thankful and Mom was too, since that's a private school tuition, and South Carolina was a little bit more affordable.

But yes, Mom and Dad started it.

They had a great storybook romance in the late forties.

They graduated in 1950, and got married in '50.

And my three older siblings, three cousins, six aunts and uncles.

- Like that scene out of "My Cousin Vinny."

- [Van Earl] Yeah.

- My father, my father's father, all that.

(Van Earl laughs) - That's right.

- We all went there.

- That's right, and now the next generation is also, a lot of 'em have gone to Carolina.

So it requires a lot of humility though, to be a Gamecock sports fan.

(Alison laughs) A lot of challenges, a lot of disappointments rather than triumphs.

- Your college was apparently set in stone, but not necessarily the trajectory of your career.

When did you know that your passion for sports could actually translate into a profession?

- I can remember reading an article in the old magazine for those of us who were of this generation, "TV Guide."

about how a reporter would put together a story, a TV reporter.

That's the first time I remember even considering it.

And then when I was at Carolina, I stopped by the college radio station, and that gave me a little fuel.

And then people there said, "You should try to get an internship, especially if you are living in Atlanta."

And so I stopped by this newfangled operation in Midtown Atlanta called Cable News Network, summer of '82.

So only two years old.

And I walked in, and this was before sports bars.

I walked in and I looked up, and on the wall, there were like eight or 10 monitors, and a bunch of guys sitting around typing their scripts, and laughing, and giving each other a hard time.

And "Oh, look at that play."

And I'm like, "Oh my gosh, this is fantastic," (Alison laughs) 'cause I was just a sports nut, I guess I had been my whole life.

And that was the spark that planted the seed.

And my job as an intern was to log the game so the editors could know where to go to edit the highlights.

And then they'd give the shot sheet to the anchors, and they were getting paid to watch games, write about games, talk about games, talk about sports, and then they gotta be on TV.

So I'm like, "I'm gonna do that."

- You're like, oh my gosh, this is a profession.

- Exactly.

(Alison laughs) - People get paid to do what I love.

- Exactly, and it was definitely, you know, the passion started pretty quickly, and I was bound and determined to wind up in that seat where those sports anchors were doing the show.

(upbeat music) - With his sight set on the sports anchor's desk, Van Earl began building his resume, and getting comfortable behind the camera.

After honing his craft at small stations around the country, his big break came in 1989 when he returned to CNN, and began living his dream.

So when you made it back to CNN, did it feel like a homecoming of sorts that you thought, you know, "I had planted the seeds here, but I really like, I just can't believe I've made it back."

And it hadn't been that long, just a few years after college.

- Well, it was five years of small town TV, Charleston; Tupelo, Mississippi; Beaumont, Texas.

But I kept sending them tapes, I'm ready, you know, ready to come back.

And they kept saying, "You're not ready."

And, you know, finally got a feel for how you do it, and not looking so shocked when the camera was on you.

And so after five years of small town TV, they hired me to do the two-minute updates on "CNN Headline Sports," and that was a lot of fun, and started- - Now remind people about that, because those of us who, you know, I remember that I actually was interning at CNN in 1992 when you were there.

- Oh, right.

- So I was interning for a show called "Sonya Live."

- Of course.

- So, which is no longer there, but the intersection of this is uncanny.

But you know, there were two times in the hour where you would come on to give sports, and this was before you could turn on cable news and get sports 24/7.

This was a rarity that you actually got this.

- Well, it was before Internet.

- Right, and well before Internet, yes.

- Right, so it was a pretty immediate source of information for updates of the games.

And especially the guys who gamble, they were loving it, 'cause they got an update, and two guys worked a shift.

So for instance, I would do the 20 after the hour, two-minute sports update.

Another guy would do the 50-minute, because you remember the old motto, I guess, "We bring you the world in 22 minutes," or whatever it was.

- Oh yeah.

It was perfect.

- Right, so I did that, and I kept, you know, bugging them and pestering them.

"I'd love to do the on-camera 30 minute show, you know, whenever."

- Well, here you are though, and with all due respect, this is a compliment, but I mean, you look like Don Johnson on camera, (Van Earl laughs) and you sound like a professional auctioneer.

You're like giving the sports, and then you sort of throw in this what has become legendary voice, baritoney, pitchy, you know, emphasizing certain words that people, even to this day, they start to, you know, imitate you in, you know, as a way to like pay tribute to what you instilled, which was not just a love and passion for sports, but also that internal sort of fandom that I think every person who watches sports loves, because you are echoing what they hear in their head.

When did that start?

And I'm not even gonna try to do all those, the Los Angelese, and the deep.

(Van Earl laughs) And I'll have you do it.

But when did that start where you had not just the idea to do it, but the confidence to bring that to bear for your personality on camera?

- A lot of people don't believe it.

They think it was all planned out and stuff like that.

It really was kind of organic.

You're in a booth, and you are editing the video for your two-minute report, and you're in that sports environment where there are 10 monitors on the wall, and people are reacting to great plays, and there's just a lot of energy and adrenaline going on.

But the boss brought me in, and asked me, "What are you doing?"

(laughs) I said, "Well, I'm just having fun.

And you know, I get energized and fired up when there's a great play, and I'm getting some positive reaction from other guys around the sports department."

He said, "Well, you are certainly generating a lot of mail.

In fact, you get more mail, or we get more mail about you than everybody but Larry King," (Alison laughs) and Larry King was the king back then.

So I was like, "Wow, that's interesting."

But some of the hate mail was quite interesting as well.

They thought I was not being a journalist and not practicing journalism, and they thought I was trying to make it all about me, which I wasn't, that wasn't my goal.

That wasn't my motivation.

It was my, it was being energized and being dazzled by great athletes doing great things.

(upbeat music) - There's no doubt that Van Earl made his mark on the sports world with his larger-than-life on air persona and his eccentric inflections.

The attention he garnered came with new opportunities to chase his dream.

But for Van Earl, success came with a price.

So it's funny you say it wasn't about you, because eventually, the ego part of the job was also the downfall for you.

- Yes It was.

- That part of the job.

- Yes.

- You went from CNN to Detroit, where you were making a whole lot more money than CNN.

- A whole lot more money.

- Yeah.

I mean, this was, I know.

- Went from 40,000 to 200,000.

- What did that feel like?

Did it feel, not, I mean, it's gotta feel good when you get paid to do what you love to do.

But it's gotta feel amazing when you get paid royally to do what you love to do.

- Still remember looking at that first paycheck and just shaking my head, and laughing out loud, had just gotten married, was off and running, and Detroit was a great place to work.

But yeah, but I mean, the money part was obviously great, but it was really great to work in Detroit and in Michigan, because those folks have such a great passion for sports as well, and their dedication and loyalty, finally last football season, they were finally rewarded as Lions fans to have some success.

I mean, they have gone a long time, and they're still showing up.

- You could relate from the South Carolina days, right?

- There you go.

Exactly.

(Alison laughs) And being a native of Atlanta, except being in Atlanta.

Well, the Braves were pretty good, but their passion and their kindness and their welcoming attitude towards this new guy from the South coming in, just three of the best years of my life and career, so much fun, and the Red Wings were the hot team.

They were chasing the Stanley Cup, and I was reintroduced to hockey after being introduced to it as a child when the Flames were in Atlanta.

And those were really some fun times.

- So, why'd you leave?

- Because I did not get renewed.

My contract wasn't renewed, and it was quite baffling and humbling, and disappointing.

But my wife of three years at that point, she always had an interest in California.

I was like, "Well, let's go to LA, see what we can do."

At first, things happened pretty quickly, and was co-anchor with Kevin Frazier, who's gone on to such great success as a broadcaster.

And then things changed, and they hired Keith Olbermann and Chris Meyers from ESPN, and I got demoted to the non-prime time shows, the overnight shows.

And my ego did not take that well.

And I became pretty angry and bitter, and I was my own worst enemy.

- So by being your own worst enemy, you really sort of tragically bombarded all of the success that you had professionally because of your personal choices.

- Correct.

I made a lot of bad choices in Los Angeles.

After that demotion, I found cocaine, and as most folks do with substance abuse, you try to balance, and certainly a lot of hiding, and a lot of lying.

And it was not fun, just constantly being on a treadmill, trying to keep up with all the lies that you're, all the lying that you're doing, and all the hiding.

And my wife at the time knew something was going on, and she confronted me, and I was so exhausted from all the lying and denying and hiding.

She said, "Get help or get out."

And so credit to her for having the guts and strength for protect herself and our kids, and to try to help me as well, and- - What year was this?

- That was 2007, and so I took a day to think about it.

We were living in Manhattan Beach, California, which is a gorgeous place to live.

And I walked down to the beach that night, and came back and said, "All right, I agree.

I'm ready to check in."

And that turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life, being in that atmosphere where people are being so honest and open, and you're realizing you're not the only one, and you're realizing you weren't as bad as others, but you were a lot worse than others.

So it was a great healing atmosphere and a strengthening atmosphere as well, for me to make a lot better choices.

(upbeat music) - Reexamining his choices and priorities has led to some big changes for Van Earl.

And in 2020, he made the decision to move away from the broadcasting world, and onto the golf course.

So transition me from when you started working at the facility after you got out, and then what that looked like between then and caddying.

- Wow, when I returned home after 60 days of treatment, while we were still in California, I was absolutely petrified to try to get another broadcasting job.

I was afraid I was gonna fall right back into the bad habits because of the hours.

You know, you're working three to midnight or later.

And so I tried a marketing job, working at a high-end treatment facility, but it required us to move to Utah.

A lot of damage had been done to the marriage.

It wasn't heading in the right direction.

And so it was in Utah when we decided to get a divorce, and a very painful time.

But I'm so thankful that my former wife, I don't like calling, using the term ex-wife, 'cause I think it has a negative connotation, she's an outstanding human being, beautiful lady, has done a great job raising our three children.

And I'm so glad that we are able to communicate now and have a positive relationship.

So when we were going through our divorce, my mom was suffering with Alzheimer's, so we had to put her in a Alzheimer's care facility.

So Dad was living in the house that all of us grew up in by himself.

And my siblings thought that, went up to Shari, and said, "You know, why don't you come back and live?

You can help out with Dad, and then, you know, get a fresh start, and you'll have family around to support you and things like that."

That's what happened.

While we were going through a divorce, my former wife and the three children moved into the house I grew up in.

- In Atlanta.

- Yes.

And I was hurt by that, because I thought my siblings were choosing Shari over me, but they were trying to support Shari and protect the kids.

And I finally took me a while, but I finally learned that.

So I'm out there in Utah by myself, and I'm like, "What am I doing out here?"

I'll go back to Atlanta too.

So I got a job at Channel 2 WSB.

Great station.

- Where?

- My mom worked.

- Unbelievable.

- She was director of tours.

That's where she would take the tour groups, show 'em all the history, and her picture is on the wall, and I'd be able to walk by and salute Mom going into work.

That was really cool.

Anyway, WSB was a good job, but COVID hit, and they kicked about 30 of us to the curb, and I just didn't really have the motivation.

I knew I needed to get another job, blah, blah, blah.

But I'm like, "You know, you've always thought about caddying," and I have.

What a cool life those guys must live, They're in great weather all the time except when it rains.

But they're never cold, for the most part.

And they get to travel the world, and they get to work outside, and they get to be around the golf, inside the ropes.

That's cool.

So- - And you're a good golfer.

- No.

- Oh.

- I'm a bad golfer.

(Alison laughs) I know what to do.

I don't know how to do it, is what I tell folks.

- Well, you were always the studio sports guy, but I know you love the play-by-play even more, and you can't get more play-by-play than being a full-time caddy.

- You know, when you're caddying, the challenge is reading people, unless it's someone you've caddied for multiple times, but you usually have a new golfer 85% of the time.

So it's about reading people.

If they're very serious and about their golf game that day, you just stay quiet and do your job, and speak when you're spoken to.

Other groups that are loose and having fun, understand why you're out on the golf course.

You're supposed to have fun.

It's not supposed to be torture, you know?

So I'll pick my spots.

- Have you made up new catchphrases since you became a caddy?

- Swung on and slapped foul down the right field line, and that ball is gone into the woods.

(Alison laughs) Swung on and slap foul, and the kid from Ooltawah goes home with a souvenir and a bloody head.

(Alison laughs) - I might like to play golf if I can have you as my caddy.

- Why not?

(Alison laughs) - Though his life and career have endured some unexpected twists and turns, it's clear that Van Earl has found peace on the green.

His openness and honesty about his addiction and recovery is a testament to his continued evolution, but he still holds on to that initial spark that started it all.

Do you still love sports?

- I do, but people ask me, "Do you miss it?

Do you wanna go back?"

I'm like, no, I don't have to keep up with all the stuff anymore.

I just watch.

I like to watch the games when I have an opportunity, but I don't have to watch every game.

I miss going to the big events.

That was always fun, getting paid to go to Super Bowls, and World Series, and NBA finals, and Stanley Cup finals.

But I had great experiences in 35 years of broadcasting.

So a lot of fun experiences, so I'm thankful for that.

- More importantly, how's your ego now?

- Under control.

(both laugh) I continue to seek an attitude of gratitude, even when I don't get paid as much as I would've hoped for after a loop on the golf course, caddying.

Attitude of gratitude, at least you got some money in your pocket.

You can still eat tonight.

Trying very hard.

Just be a good presence, a good teammate with the other caddies, and with the other workers at whatever golf course I might be working at at the time.

And I think about my mom a lot.

She always preaching humility, stay humble, speak to everybody.

When I went off to Carolina to go to college, "Now you speak to everybody on campus."

I'm like, "Mom, there's 25,000 students.

I can't say hello to everybody."

(both laugh) I'll try.

(laughs) She definitely, and Dad, be humble.

Think about others before yourself, and that's what I'm trying to do now, and trying to be a positive presence on the Planet Earth.

- Well, speaking of positive presence, you've been quite the positive presence here, but I couldn't let you go without asking just for a favor.

So could you teach me how to say in that deep voice, "Welcome to 'The A List.'"

- Hello everybody.

You are in esteemed company.

This is "The A List."

(Alison laughs) - Perfect.

- All right.

- Thanks, Van Earl.

- Thank you.

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