Eli, Jill, and Who?
Charliy Nash
Tuesday August 28, 2001
“I saw it when the Chicago Bruisers were in town in Chicago,” he explained during the playoffs, “I’d watched it as a young guy, and I remember when Jimmy Jensen was down coaching the team in Florida, or in Miami, when all the Hooters guys were involved. So it was a game I was very familiar with – not necessarily familiar with all the rules, so that was a little bit of a challenge. Fortunately for me, the Arena Football League offices are right in Chicago, so I spent a couple of days down there learning all the nuances of the game.”
Jurkovic did his research and enthusiastically auditioned for the broadcast job. He was very happy when TNN chose him to work with Gold on the televised games. “I’m glad I went to the audition,” he said, “I’m glad they said ‘You’re good enough to do this’ and it’s been a wonderful opportunity working with some of the best and most talented people in the country in our production staff, with the fellows from ESPN Radio, working with Eli Gold and working with Jill Arrington. It’s been a wonderful experience.”
If the Arena Football League needs a spokesman to convince the NFL that a partnership would be a good thing, they might want to consider John Jurkovic. “I can see why the NFL wants to get involved,” he said, “It’s a complement to their game. This is an indoor game played with different idiosyncrasies, different rules, using different skills, and you’re asking players do to different things on the field, going both ways. It’s an exciting game. It’s got tremendous fan support around the country, with its individual teams.”
He finds the speed of Arena Football very appealing and has introduced several friends to the game. “I think the biggest compliment this game has received from any of my friends is, when they finally go and see it in the arena, they’re like ‘You know what? That’s an exciting game. That’s a fun game.’ Things happen so quickly. One guy said he went to the bathroom and missed two scores. And that’s what the indoor game in Arena Football offers you. It’s exciting fast action, non-stop action, and quick. It makes it a little bit of a different product from the NFL. And we all know what the NFL offers you: Tremendous things that they have, the history of the game, and the challenges in the game, and all the rivalries that it gives you. The AFL is just a little bit of a different product with its own nuances and idiosyncrasies… I enjoy it.”
His enthusiasm for the game is obvious. Talking to him about the sport is like talking to a long-time fan. “We’ve got the af2 game, the championship game, next week, which I’m looking forward to. Especially since you had guys like Billy Dicken come from there, guys like Cornelius Coe come from there. So it’s going to be interesting to see the championship game, what players may be coming over and playing in the AFL next year. It’s exciting. I plan also to be at the championship game [Arena Bowl]. We’re not doing the game, but since I’ve done it all year I plan on attending the game to see what’s happening and what’s going on.”
The transition to broadcasting was a learning experience. “Early on it was a little rough,” Jurkovic admits, “but once you get used to it and you see the repetitions and you see it happening, you become very comfortable with the game.” As he became more comfortable behind the microphone he began to win fans over. Eli Gold speaks highly of his broadcast colleague. Nashville Kats lineman James Baron recently complimented him on his work. So will we see John Jurkovic calling the games again next season? “I’m trying to get in there to do it again next year. I’m talking to Brian Hughes from TNN. They’re doing it again next year. We’re just trying to find a day that it’s going to be done, so hopefully I can come back and do a second season.”
Charliy Nash has covered both incarnations of the Nashville Kats, and now has make the 2 hour drive to Huntsville for an Arena Football fix. He also covers the Tennessee Titans as a blogger for nfl.com and still hopes this will eventually lead to a paying gig.
