Ex-AD Nadzak ready for radio

Former Citadel athletic director Walt Nadzak prowled the sidelines at the Bulldogs' final preseason scrimmage last Saturday, depth chart in hand.

Nadzak, 72, was preparing for his newest gig — analyst for The Citadel Sports Network's radio broadcasts of Bulldogs football this season.

Nadzak and Darren Goldwater, the new play-by-play voice of the Bulldogs, will make their debut Saturday, when the Bulldogs open the season against Webber International at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

Nadzak, who has done TV broadcasts of Southern Conference football in the past and is a former football coach, said he's excited to get back in the game, even if it is from the radio booth.

"When people would ask me how I'm doing, I'd say, 'I'm bored,' " said Nadzak, who retired after 15 years as The Citadel's AD in 2000. "So when Gil Kirkman asked me to do this, I hesitated for about five seconds, and then said, 'I'll do it.' "

Nadzak and Goldwater take over for Glenn Seale and Robby Robinson, respectively, as Kirkman Broadcasting begins its 24th year of carrying Citadel football.

"I'm always interested in being around Citadel football," said Nadzak, who was the military school's AD when the Bulldogs last won the SoCon title, in 1992. "I love the place, love the school, so this was a natural for me."

Nadzak will draw on a wealth of football experience, including 15 years as the head coach at Connecticut and at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., and TV broadcast experience.

"I did about two or three games a year when the Southern Conference hired the talent," Nadzak said. "But as each school started to do their own games, they wanted their own talent and that kind of dried up this year. I wasn't scheduled to do anything this year."

Nadzak had been filling his time playing golf, working at a golf course and working with the Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic. Now, he'll enjoy fall road trips to Boone, N.C., and Birmingham, Ala.

"It gets me back into my own element," he said. "I was a coach for 23 years, and it's still in my blood. At my age and in my retirement, it already is making me feel younger."

Nadzak has rarely missed a Citadel home game in recent years and is familiar with the Bulldogs' rise under coach Kevin Higgins. But he's also studying up on the 2008 Bulldogs and their opponents.

"Fortunately, Darren is very organized and already has given me some stuff to work on," he said. "I've been working on keys to the game and things like that, and hopefully we will be a good duo."

Nadzak, who used to cart a model of a renovated Johnson Hagood Stadium to Citadel booster club meetings 20 years ago, also will get to work in the West Side Tower's new press box.

"That's been a dream of mine for years," Nadzak said of the new stadium. "I toured it the other day, and believe me, there's not another facility like this at an FCS school in the country. It's just fantastic. People will love it, and I think it will bring in people who were not interested in Citadel football before."

--The Citadel Sports Network's 2008 affiliates include 910-AM in Charleston, 660-AM in Greenville, 1440-AM in Columbia, 1240-AM in Sumter, 93.7-FM in Georgetown and 1050-AM in Myrtle Beach.

SEASON OPENER

Who: Webber International at The Citadel

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Johnson Hagood Stadium