Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
In 40th year as radio spotter, Groce is epitome of True Blue
9/16/2020 6:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — For the last 40 years, there's been one pair of eyes helping the Blue Raider Network broadcast Middle Tennessee football game to the masses.
While his voice has seldom been heard over the airwaves in his time as the spotter for the Blue Raider radio team, Wayne Groce's eyes have been instrumental to making sure the game call is correct. Now in his 40th season helping call out numbers on runs, catches and tackles, his eyes are just as sharp as ever. So is his love for Middle Tennessee athletics.
"It's been really, really tremendous for me," Groce said. "All of the people I've met — a lot of them I don't remember, truthfully. It's just been fun."
Groce was asked if he'd be interested in spotting before the 1981 season by legendary Blue Raider voice Dick Palmer, who was taking over play-by-play duties at his alma mater.
While he didn't really know what being a spotter entailed, Groce was immediately interested in the job because it meant he could have a great seat to watch his beloved Blue Raiders play every week.
"It all started with Mr. Palmer," Groce said. "Who would've ever thought we'd made it this long? I hadn't known Mr. Palmer very long when we started. … We coached Little League baseball against each other, and one day he just called me and asked if I wanted to be his spotter. I didn't know what that was, to tell the truth."
Since his first season calling out numbers, Groce has seen a lot on the field.
Middle Tennessee has been in three different conferences since he started, winning a handful of Ohio Valley Conference championships and going deep into the Division I-AA Playoffs several times before moving to Division I-A in 1999 and winning a couple Sun Belt Conference titles in the early 2000s. Then, the Blue Raiders moved to Conference USA in 2013 and won the East Division and hosted the conference title game in 2018.
Groce also saw Palmer hand over the reins of play-by-play duties to the current voice of the Blue Raiders, Chip Walters, in 2009.
"Wayne is the guy who over the years has made whoever's in the play-by-play seat look smart," Walters said. "He's the extra set of eyes that we need. … His friendship and his easy going manner, and also his photographic memory, are invaluable in the booth."
While some of Middle Tennessee's most historic contests are some of his fondest memories, getting a chance to interact with his radio comrades before and after games might be what Groce most cherishes.
"The fondest memories are back in the I-AA days and taking the long, nine-hour bus rides to Akron, Ohio and Youngstown, Ohio," he said. "I was younger then, so the bus rides weren't as bad."
He also considers himself lucky to be able to have a front row seat to watch his beloved alma mater take the field week in and week out.
Groce, a 1969 and 1975 graduate of MT, is the epitome of True Blue. He's a past president of the Blue Raider Athletic Association Board of Directors and still serves on the MTSU Foundation Board of Trustees. He can also be found at almost every home sporting event, especially baseball and basketball.
"He's all in. He is True Blue in every sense," Walters said. "He's invested emotionally and any other way you can imagine. He's a big supporter of every sport and the entire university."
Groce has been retired for about a decade after a long career working at State Farm in Murfreesboro. He dedicates much of his free time now to Middle Tennessee.
"I tell people all the time, I don't play golf, I don't fish, I don't do a lot of stuff. Watching Middle Tennessee is what I do for fun," he said.
Groce turned 73 on Tuesday. He would love nothing more for a birthday present than to see his Blue Raiders take down old rival Troy Saturday in the team's home opener, the 40th straight home opener Groce has watched from the radio booth.
While his voice has seldom been heard over the airwaves in his time as the spotter for the Blue Raider radio team, Wayne Groce's eyes have been instrumental to making sure the game call is correct. Now in his 40th season helping call out numbers on runs, catches and tackles, his eyes are just as sharp as ever. So is his love for Middle Tennessee athletics.
"It's been really, really tremendous for me," Groce said. "All of the people I've met — a lot of them I don't remember, truthfully. It's just been fun."
Groce was asked if he'd be interested in spotting before the 1981 season by legendary Blue Raider voice Dick Palmer, who was taking over play-by-play duties at his alma mater.
While he didn't really know what being a spotter entailed, Groce was immediately interested in the job because it meant he could have a great seat to watch his beloved Blue Raiders play every week.
"It all started with Mr. Palmer," Groce said. "Who would've ever thought we'd made it this long? I hadn't known Mr. Palmer very long when we started. … We coached Little League baseball against each other, and one day he just called me and asked if I wanted to be his spotter. I didn't know what that was, to tell the truth."
Since his first season calling out numbers, Groce has seen a lot on the field.
Middle Tennessee has been in three different conferences since he started, winning a handful of Ohio Valley Conference championships and going deep into the Division I-AA Playoffs several times before moving to Division I-A in 1999 and winning a couple Sun Belt Conference titles in the early 2000s. Then, the Blue Raiders moved to Conference USA in 2013 and won the East Division and hosted the conference title game in 2018.
Groce also saw Palmer hand over the reins of play-by-play duties to the current voice of the Blue Raiders, Chip Walters, in 2009.
"Wayne is the guy who over the years has made whoever's in the play-by-play seat look smart," Walters said. "He's the extra set of eyes that we need. … His friendship and his easy going manner, and also his photographic memory, are invaluable in the booth."
While some of Middle Tennessee's most historic contests are some of his fondest memories, getting a chance to interact with his radio comrades before and after games might be what Groce most cherishes.
"The fondest memories are back in the I-AA days and taking the long, nine-hour bus rides to Akron, Ohio and Youngstown, Ohio," he said. "I was younger then, so the bus rides weren't as bad."
He also considers himself lucky to be able to have a front row seat to watch his beloved alma mater take the field week in and week out.
Groce, a 1969 and 1975 graduate of MT, is the epitome of True Blue. He's a past president of the Blue Raider Athletic Association Board of Directors and still serves on the MTSU Foundation Board of Trustees. He can also be found at almost every home sporting event, especially baseball and basketball.
"He's all in. He is True Blue in every sense," Walters said. "He's invested emotionally and any other way you can imagine. He's a big supporter of every sport and the entire university."
Groce has been retired for about a decade after a long career working at State Farm in Murfreesboro. He dedicates much of his free time now to Middle Tennessee.
"I tell people all the time, I don't play golf, I don't fish, I don't do a lot of stuff. Watching Middle Tennessee is what I do for fun," he said.
Groce turned 73 on Tuesday. He would love nothing more for a birthday present than to see his Blue Raiders take down old rival Troy Saturday in the team's home opener, the 40th straight home opener Groce has watched from the radio booth.
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