Jim Brandstatter, youngest of four boys, came
from a highly athletic achieving family. Jim’s father Art was an All-American
fullback at Michigan State. Art, the Brigadier General, was appointed to the Michigan
State staff to run the School of Criminal Justice by the President of the
University John Hannah. Jim also was expected to fill the shoes of older brother
Art Jr. This older brother was a first stringer on both the offensive and
defensive side of the ball for the Spartans. John, another brother, was an All-Tournament
basketball player and Brother Bill was a big game hunter and fisherman. Mike
another brother was a star on the state champion high school football team. The
Brandstatter’s were high achievers, attained high standards and were elite
athletes. That athletic model was clear and ingrained on, young Jim.
Jim experienced a lot of pressure to succeed, and was expected to be
like all the other Brandstatters. As a young boy, he remembered fondly being
around older brother Art when he brought his fellow Spartan teammates to the
family home. As a sophomore, Jim, on the Junior varsity, was quickly promoted
to his high school varsity team, and lettered. This high achieving athlete
received honors and lettered in baseball as an all-city first baseman one year and
an all-city catcher the following year. He even lettered in basketball and was
a co-captain in the last game of his high school’s postseason basketball
tourney.
Although Jim was expected to attend and play football for Michigan
State like his father and older brother, he was still recruited by Coach Bump
Elliott from the University Michigan and MSU’s arch rival, no less. He caused
quite the stir in the community and family when he elected to play football in
Ann Arbor. Playing for the University of Michigan, he received all Big Ten
honors in his senior year.
While in school, Jim gave up the dream of becoming an architect and
instead fell in love with all the radio and TV classes. In fact his first
position after graduating from Michigan was for WEYI -TV in the Saginaw, Bay
City and Flint area. Initially, he was a one-man show, and worked himself up
the ranks. In doing so, Jim mastered the art of TV and radio, and quickly made
it to the big time with Channel 4 in Detroit as their sports producer.
One accomplishment led to another as this industrious TV and radio star,
created a half-hour talk show called Michigan Replay with Coach Schembechler. Since
that initial show, Jim has interviewed all the Michigan head coaches, such as
Gary Moeller, Lloyd Carr, Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke that followed, the
legend Schembechler. Last year, Mike Keller and I were on the Brady Hoke-Jim
Brandstatter radio show. This year, Mike and I will be featured on the Jim
Harbaugh-Jim Brandstatter radio show. Incidentally,
Jim also does play-by-play, on the radio with former Michigan teammate Dan
Dierdorf. Oh by the way, Jim is also the voice of the Detroit Lions. Masterful
Jim has been elected President of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association
twice; Sportscaster of the year in Michigan; has written two best-selling books;
and was recently inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. This man still
achieves at the highest levels.
More to follow regarding Jim Brandstatter
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