Steve Barrios Celebrates 40th Season in Radio Booth

Voice of the Green Wave Corey Gloor recently sat down with longtime Tulane Sports Network from Learfield football radio analyst Steve Barrios as the latter celebrates his 40th year with Tulane this season.

Corey Gloor: Forty seasons in the booth, could you have imagined you would be part of the Tulane radio broadcast for four decades when you started this back in 1978:

Steve Barrios: No, not really. I was pretty excited when I was asked to do it. I thought I'd just rock along for a couple of years. One turned into five, five turned into 15 and I thought 25 was a really big milestone! Then it became 30 and, of course, now 40 so it's been quite an experience.

CG: What was the origin of Steve Barrios working his way up to the broadcast booth?

SB: Back in 1974, I had a tryout in the original World Football League with the Birmingham Americans. The guy who did the play-by-play there was a guy by the name of Larry Matson. Larry for did it for two years. In 1975, I went to Jacksonville along with Steve Foley and Charlie Hall and then the league folded. In 1978, Larry got the play-by-play job at Tulane and he remembered me being from there. He looked me up and asked me to be his color analyst.

CG: Was there a moment early on when you knew that this would be something that you would want to keep doing? Was it a game or just a conversation that you remember in those early days when it went from trying this out to, "Yeah, I can stick around and do this"?

SB: My main goal was that I wanted to do the analysis in the way that the housewife sitting down at the radio could understand what was going on. It frustrates me today, especially in the pro game, when you listen to guys talking about a one, two, three or four. The average housewife has no idea what that means. My goal was to break down the play and try to make it easy to understand what was happening on the field.

CG: What has been your favorite experience over the course of your 40 years?

SB: There are some game highlights that I look back on and relish. Of course, the 1998 season was the pinnacle when Tulane went undefeated and was Conference USA champions. The Green Wave went to the Liberty Bowl and defeated BYU. In that season, we were playing Louisville and it had the ball first and goal on the Tulane three-yard line with Chris Redman, an All-American quarterback. The Tulane defense held them out of the end zone on four consecutive downs and that propelled the Green Wave to go on and have the undefeated season. Had that defensive stand not taken place, the whole undefeated season would have been up in smoke.

CG: You have seen a lot of people come through this program, this athletic department and in the booth, sitting alongside you. What does it mean to you to be the fulcrum of this place and this program. You are latched onto its history, its past, present and future. What does that mean to you to be the guy that everything circles?

SB: It means a lot, going back to me coming here as a freshman in 1968. In 1970, my junior year, we went to the Liberty Bowl and upset a very heavily-favored Colorado team. Then again, though, as the play-by-play guys, athletic directors and coaches have changed … the play-by-play guys who have come in and really leaned on me for background and certain information … it's my job to help you guys. When you came in, I wanted to help you get acclimated and to give you a sense of what Tulane Football means to the people of New Orleans.

CG: Forty years is a milestone in this industry. There are not many guys in this world that are entering five decades of doing this. What is it that keeps you coming back and sitting alongside me in that booth and calling these games?

SB: The history I have with Tulane, my love for Tulane, I want to be part of the program. This is a way that I feel that I can contribute and keep my love of the game and interest in Tulane alive. It's something that I look forward to every year, I really do. It also means I'm old, ok (laughs)?.

CG: It also means you have a very patient and understanding wife this time of year. It's not easy being related to a broadcaster … trust me on that one. What has your family meant to you as you keep coming back every fall and their support for you?

SB: They have been so supportive. I have a daughter, Andrea, who is 43 and my son Ross, who just turned 40. There are a lot of weekends that I wasn't around. One of the (Tulane) games that I did miss was when Andrea was on the Homecoming court and I got to escort her when she was in high school. I think my wife likes getting me out of the house, though (laughs)! I think that's the key.

CG: Got another 40 in you?

SB: I don't know about 40, but I'm going to go as long as God smiles on me. If He keeps my health going, I'd like to continue.

Coverage of Tulane's season opener against UMass begins at 5 p.m. CT along the network. The broadcast will air on 104.1 The Spot in New Orleans, worldwide on the Tulane Athletics and Varsity Network apps, as well as Sirius XM Channel 387.

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Steve Barrios Celebrates 40th Season in Radio Booth

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