JEFF JEFFERS INDUCTED INTO INDIANA FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

WNDU Sports Director Being Honored for His Contributions to Indiana Football

 

SOUTH BEND, IN – WNDU TV Sports Director Jeff Jeffers will be inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame on Friday, May 23^rd in South Bend. Jeffers will be honored for his long-time contributions to the game which include his coverage and promotion of the sport for more than thirty years.

 

Jeffers will begin his 34^th season covering Notre Dame football in 2008.  Since 1975, Jeffers has provided viewers in Michiana with the best and most complete coverage of Notre Dame football.  He has literally followed the Irish from coast to coast, from Miami to Seattle and from Boston to Los Angeles. Jeffers was Michiana’s primary anchor/reporter when Notre Dame played in the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Gator Bowl, Independence Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Orange Bowl. Conservatively estimated, Jeffers has covered over 1,000 games, matches and meets involving Irish athletic teams over the last three decades. He has worked as the play-by-play and/or color analyst for football, basketball, hockey and baseball during his career.

 

Jeffers is the host of “Countdown to Kickoff,” a one-hour live program from the field of Notre Dame Stadium before every Irish home football game. The show not only previews the match-up of the day, but is also the place to catch all the famous faces visiting the stadium.  Regis Philbin, Larry King, Bob Costas, Tim Russert, Baseball Hall of Famers Tommy LaSorda and Hank Aaron and the 38th President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, all have appeared with Jeff.  The “Countdown” is also extremely popular with viewers.  The show before the Tennessee-Notre Dame game in 2005 drew one of the largest audience shares in the history of the South Bend-Elkhart TV market. 

 

Jeff is also regarded as a national authority on the sport of college football.  He regularly appears as a guest on radio and television shows around the country, filling in audiences on the latest about the Irish.  Jeffers is also heard live on hundreds of radio stations across the nation during every Notre Dame football game.  Beginning in 2006, Jeff joined Don Criqui and Allen Pinkett for Westwood One’s national coverage of the Irish.  Jeff will be the Notre Dame sideline reporter when Irish games move to the ISP radio network in 2008, continuing his partnership with fellow Irish alums Criqui and Pinkett.  Jeffers has also authored a book “Rally, The 12 Greatest Comebacks in Notre Dame Football History,” which was later made into a videotape.  He has been the writer and narrator for several Irish highlight tapes.  He served as host of the Notre Dame football coach’s show with five different coaches: Dan Devine, Lou Holtz, Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis. Jeffers also worked on a freelance basis for NFL Live on NBC, ESPN, SportsChannel, and other assorted cable sports outlets.

 

Under his direction, WNDU TV pioneered the use of satellite coverage and the use of a helicopter in the coverage of both Indiana and Michigan High School football. He is a perennial choice for the top sportscaster in the South Bend-Elkhart market.

 

A graduate of The University of Tulsa and The University of Notre Dame, Jeffers was awarded an honorary monogram by Notre Dame in 2006 for his contributions to athletics at his alma mater. The honorary monogram is one of the highest honors that Notre Dame may bestow on an individual. Jeffers is well known for his community work as a master of ceremonies and event speaker. He has helped local charities like Hannah and Friends, Special Olympics, Logan Center and Toys for Tots.

 

Jeff and his wife Leslie are the parents of four children; LeighAnn, Scott (a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps), Reilly and Kelly. They live in South Bend and are members of St. Matthew Cathedral parish.

 

WNDU-TV/DT, owned by Gray Television, Inc., is Michiana’s NBC affiliate station serving viewers in ten counties throughout Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan.