Charlie Chitwood recently listened to a recording of a LeTourneau University men's basketball game to critique the work of Chris Stuckey, the game's color commentator and his employee.
During the broadcast of a Jan. 8 game against McMurry University, Stuckey notices an injury to a LeTourneau player that opens up scoring chances for a McMurry player. His observation foreshadows trouble for LeTourneau, which eventually loses 65-63.
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Michael Cavazos/News-Journal Photo | LeTourneau University student Chris Stuckey keeps a close watch on the computer screen attached to his wheelchair as he works as a color commentator during the Internet broadcast of Tuesday's LeTourneau basketball games at Solheim Arena.
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"The way Chris picked that up, that's pretty good for someone who has about a dozen games under his belt," Chitwood said. "His eyes pick up a lot."
What Stuckey picks up with his eyes, and his ears, is more than most of his peers. It's remarkable too, because he doesn't have the physical abilities his peers can take for granted.
Stuckey is practically a quadriplegic. Yet from the helm of his electric wheelchair, the 20-year-old business major at LeTourneau and Longview native has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments.
He is an award-winning writer. He is an excellent student at LeTourneau. He is a guru of the sports world.
And most recently, he is an Internet broadcaster for LeTourneau University's men's and women's basketball games.
"Chris has lived his life like nothing ever happened to him physically," said Julie Stuckey, Chris' mother. "He doesn't let anything stop him."
JULY 25, 1996
If destiny had been different, perhaps other people would be doing broadcasts of Chris' athletic exploits. In his early elementary school years, he played baseball and basketball.
"Chris always loved little-league competition," Julie Stuckey said. "He has always loved sports."
Destiny changed on July 25, 1996. As Chris drove a four-wheeler on his family's properties, hauling tree branches, a strap holding branches came loose and entangled one of the wheels. Chris said he was thrown off the four-wheeler and the vehicle landed on him.
The impact was devastating.
The only movement in his body below his neck is slight movement in his left arm and hand, but the movement has no practical use because he can't control it. Chris said he will likely remain in his current physical state for the foreseeable future.
"It's a lot for an eight-year-old to digest," he said. "Being a quadriplegic seems normal now."
Chris said there are times it's hard living with his condition. At night, he uses a ventilator with a device surgically implanted in his throat. He said he doesn't need it to breathe, but if he doesn't, complications such as pneumonia could develop.
Chris said he does his best to avoid feeling sorry for himself, something made easier thanks to a supportive family. His mother said feelings of sadness are rare, but they do happen.
"The hardest part is thinking what might have been," Julie Stuckey said. "I try not to do that."
SCHOOL SUPPORT
Chris said he knows that grade-school kids can be mean to other kids that are different physically, but said he is grateful he never had to deal with cruel events going to school in the Spring Hill ISD. Three months after the accident, he returned to school.
"Nobody treated me any different when I came back," he said. "I felt like a normal kid."
Chris said having the same group of friends helped him. He said he is especially grateful for the friendship of Lane Waters. Chris has known Waters, who currently attends Kilgore College, since he was two years old.
"When we were seniors at Spring Hill, Lane picked me up and took me to school every day," Chris Stuckey said. "He is an awesome person."
Julie said Chris has had a similar environment at LeTourneau.
"I can't even say enough about LeTourneau," she said. "They have helped him with everything Chris has needed. When a classroom is not good for Chris, they change classrooms."
A SMORGASBORD OF SPORTS
Chris' room at the Stuckey home, as well as a living room, is a two-room museum reflecting the past 15 years of sports.
Between the two rooms, there are more than 100 bobblehead dolls. In both rooms there are pictures and posters of his three favorite athletes: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Peyton Manning and Tony Romo.
Chris' collection also includes a poster of him posing with Dallas Maverick center Dirk Nowitzki. The picture means so much to Chris its his profile picture on his Internet home page on Facebook. He remembers the date of the picture as well.
"It was March 8, 2008. That night, he became the Mavericks' all-time leading scorer," Chris said. "That same month, a friend hooked me up and I got to eat dinner with (Dallas Cowboy receiver) Patrick Crayton at the Texas Road House here in Longview.
"March was a pretty good month."
The two-room tribute also buzzes with attention to current sports.
With Chris' computer connected to his wheelchair, which he maneuvers with his mouth using a device that looks like a straw, the living room has four televisions and two computer screens.
To operate them all at once, the family's resident nurse — David DeLorme — attaches a device not much bigger than a dot in Chris' forehead. It's a head mouse, and it sends signals to Chris' computer which allows him to turn on electronic devices from his computer. It takes seconds for Chris to turn on the devices, faster than many able-bodied people.
"It takes practice," Chris says with a smile.
The televisions are usually tuned in to sporting events. His room is especially busy on weekends.
"My friends at Spring Hill liked to come over on Sundays to watch the NFL," Chris said. "I can keep up with the NFL, but the NCAA basketball tournament is eight games at once and I can't keep up."
Chris is not casually watching the games.
"If I leave the room and come back in a minute and ask about two games, Chris will tell me exactly what is going on," DeLorme said.
BROADCASTING BASKETBALL
Of all his sports passions, what Chris may enjoy most of all is sports-talk radio.
Through his computer, he listens to Internet broadcasts. He is an avid listener to shows hosted by Dallas-area personality Randy Galloway, former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin and former ESPN personality Dan Patrick. His voice-mail answering message is a personalized recording by Patrick.
Chris received a Tops in Texas Bronze Star award in 2005 while at Spring Hill for feature sports writing for a football story. With his exposure to recent audio broadcasts however, he decided to give LeTourneau basketball a chance.
Chris contacted Chitwood, owner of Chitwood Sports Media, for a chance to be a color commentator for LeTourneau games, a volunteer position.
"He contacted me by E-mail out of the blue. I called him. About eight to 10 minutes into it, he told me about his physical condition," Chitwood said. "If he had that kind of moxie and confidence, I would let him do it.
"Someone gave me a chance a long time ago, so I wasn't going to let his physical condition get in the way."
To prepare for broadcasts, Chris makes extensive research for information he can use in his broadcast. For example, he pointed out in LeTourneau's game against Concordia in December, Concordia coach Stanley Bonewitz was a standout at Texas Tech in the late '90s.
"He spends hours researching these teams. Every player. All of their stats," Julie Stuckey said. "He spends a lot of time doing that, when he should be doing his homework."
Julie said that in spite of this, Chris currently has a 3.75 grade-point average at LeTourneau. Julie, and her husband Donny, have supported their son's broadcasts. In LeTourneau's games against East Texas Baptist University on Tuesday, they were nearby, giving Chris water and food during breaks in the broadcast.
For broadcasts, Chris is teamed with Robert Galloway, who is in his first season covering LeTourneau, but has been the voice of Tatum High School sports for 15 years and has worked in broadcasting for more than 30 years.
The head mouse Chris uses at home is also used for broadcasts, as he constantly flips through pages of information on his computer.
Chitwood said Chris needed improvement on his timing at first, but it is rapidly improving.
Galloway said he is impressed with how Chris takes statistical information and molds it into knowledge a common basketball fan can understand. Galloway said Chris is smooth with adjustments they make off the air during commercial breaks.
"Chris is more knowledgeable about what he is doing than anybody I have ever worked with," Galloway said.
THE FUTURE
The arrival of Chris Stuckey as a broadcaster coincides with a revival of the LeTourneau men's team. Going into Saturday's game against UT Tyler, LeTourneau is 12-6 and 10-3, one game behind UT Dallas for first place in the American Southwest Conference's East Division. Chris jokingly takes credit for LeTourneau's strong season so far, but he seriously gives credit to LeTourneau coach Bob Davis and his defensive scheme.
Chris is scheduled to graduate from LeTourneau in 2010, but when he thinks about his future, he is similar to his peers because he is not sure what he wants to do yet.
Chris said he is also uncertain if he will broadcast LeTourneau games for the 2009-10 school year, but considering most color commentators are ex-players, Chris said he feels like he is doing OK.
"For the future, anything involving sports would be ideal," he said.
Chitwood said it takes years for a broadcaster to settle in on a style, but Chris' pre-game preparation is at a professional level already. Galloway said Chris has a future in broadcasting and all he needs is an opportunity.
Julie said she is not too worried about what Chris will do after LeTourneau, relying on what has carried the Stuckey family. Faith.
"God has a plan for Chris and he'll work it out," she said.
