ESPN Radio’s Harry Douglas enters every football season with the same mindset that defined his 10 seasons in the National Football League: where excitement meets preparation and being ready to put forth the best effort possible. For the last three years, that mindset has guided Douglas and co-host Freddie Coleman as they’ve built a devoted following every weekday afternoon on ESPN Radio.
“Me and Freddie [Coleman] are a match made in heaven. We can relate on a lot of things, but he’s the seasoned veteran. He is the face of ESPN Radio and a pro’s pro,” says Douglas. “We’re our authentic selves, and the listeners enjoy that. Our show is a community show. That’s how we want it to be, and we want our listeners to feel that as well.”
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Douglas’ journey into sports radio was not the typical path walked by many of his peers. He built it literally from the ground up during his final years playing in the NFL.
Instead of retiring and waiting for opportunities to come to him, Douglas chased opportunity with an internship at Audacy’s 92.9 The Game in Atlanta beginning in 2015. Those early beginnings in Atlanta lit a fire inside him and fueled his love for the radio medium. The internship was like any other. Everything from screening calls to working in the field and even bringing the donuts from time to time.
“I went in day one just thinking I’d be observing everyone. But Jamie Dukes and Rick Kamla threw me right into the fire on day one. It was cool, and I felt I held my own,” explained Douglas. “What they taught me was if you’re going to be in this business, you must tell the truth. You can’t be a homer. There are different ways to do it, and I always took that to heart.”
Those foundational principles Douglas learned during three years and three offseason internships at The Game continue to apply directly to his on-air approach today.
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“It’s about being informative and keeping the main thing the main thing. You have to deliver information while remaining entertaining. Find any avenue to engage the listener where they feel welcome,” said Douglas about his on-air approach. “Our community is a part of our show. They help make the show what it is. We created something where people feel comfortable chiming in without the fear of being judged. That’s massive for us.”
Douglas and Coleman share much in common but also have plenty of differences. Like any solidified on-air partnership, they view those differences as positives. Three years ago, after a lineup shuffle at ESPN Radio saw Douglas lose his on-air partner Jason Fitz, he was left with a choice about his next steps with the network.
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“I remember when everything went down with [Jason] Fitz, the bosses asked me for a list of people that I wanted to work with. I think they already had Freddie [Coleman] in mind. But when I mentioned his name, I think that was the exclamation point on it,” noted Douglas. “We got paired up, and now the rest is history.”
Douglas believes he and Coleman are each other’s crutch. When one needs the other for anything, they’re there. Coleman has always supported Douglas, dating back to his early days at the network, when Douglas hosted programs on weekends before joining the weekday lineup.
Now three years into their partnership, the duo felt its first shake-up last month. Freddie & Harry shifted from a 3 p.m. start to 5 p.m. on ESPN Radio. Although the change was slight, Douglas knew the adjustment would be minimal.
“We’re so adaptable and able to take on anything and everything,” said Douglas. “That’s what I’ve learned the most about this business. The more adaptable you are, the longer you’ll also be around. There’s nothing you can throw at Freddie and myself that will throw us into disarray.”
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The shift also brought new star power to the ESPN Radio lineup. Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr. returned to host a two-hour edition of The Golics from 10 a.m. to noon. Meanwhile, Matt Jones and Myron Medcalf took over the 3 p.m. timeslot previously occupied by Freddie & Harry, leading into Douglas and Coleman’s show at 5 p.m.
“This ESPN Radio lineup is pretty damn strong,” says Douglas, who noted that every program brings something different to the weekday radio table. “I’m happy to see Matt [Jones] and Myron [Medcalf] get their opportunity. When I was a senior at Louisville, I worked at the same law firm with Matt. And Myron, he’s one of the most well-rounded guys we have, too. Overall, mornings to evenings, I think it’s a damn strong lineup. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Like any player who competes at the highest level, coaching is vital to achieving success. From the playing field to behind the microphone, that hasn’t changed for Douglas. His earliest mentor was former 92.9 The Game programmer Terry Foxx, who brought Douglas into the internship program during his final year playing for the Atlanta Falcons.
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Douglas spoke highly of the feedback he consistently received from Foxx during his days in Atlanta. Foxx provided not only tips for improvement but also perspective on what to expect while entering the industry and finding success within it.
“I fell in love with radio because I wanted to start from the bottom of it. I wanted to learn everything about the industry. Terry Foxx came to me one day and said I could make a career out of this, and I believed him,” explained Douglas. “He always kept it raw with me and never sugarcoated it. I respect him for doing that. I don’t mind criticism and always want feedback. I’m my biggest critic, but that feedback is so key for growth.”
Since joining ESPN in 2019, Douglas has experienced significant growth at the network. Aside from his role with Coleman on ESPN Radio, he’s worked in the broadcast booth for NFL games on ESPN Radio and UFL games on the television side. Douglas also hosts Countdown to GameDay for ESPN’s social and digital platforms while contributing to a number of ESPN studio programs.
His motivations are simple: finding any way possible to engage in his passion for talking about sports. That includes ESPN’s upcoming Super Bowl LXI presentation in Los Angeles, which he remains hopeful to be a part of.
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“I haven’t had any talks recently about that. They’ll probably be coming up sometime soon,” said Douglas, noting that he plans to be in Bristol more this upcoming season. “I don’t want to be like anyone, because I’ve always wanted to be myself. Everything I’m doing now I literally said I would do. If I put my mind to it and set it in stone, then there’s a great chance it’s going to happen.”
For Douglas, the transition from the NFL to sports radio was never about replacing one career with another. It was about taking the same competitive mindset that carried him through 10 seasons in the league and applying it to a new challenge.
The preparation remains. So does the desire to improve, the willingness to accept criticism and the belief that opportunities are earned long before they arrive. Whether he’s sitting beside Freddie Coleman every afternoon, calling a game, contributing to ESPN’s studio programming or preparing for the possibility of a role surrounding Super Bowl LXI, Harry Douglas continues to approach each opportunity the same way he did as a player.
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Be excited. Be prepared. Then go prove you belong.
Three years into Freddie & Harry, Douglas has already established himself as more than a former NFL player who found a second career behind the microphone. He has become a broadcaster in his own right, building a community with Coleman while continuing to expand his footprint across ESPN.
And if Douglas is right about what happens when he puts his mind to something, there may be plenty more opportunities waiting for him when the next one arrives.
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The post Harry Douglas Explains Why His NFL Mindset Still Drives His ESPN Radio Career appeared first on Barrett Media.
