Jerry Punch
Jerry Punch | |
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Sportscaster |
Gerald Lee "Jerry" Punch (born August 20, 1953) is an American auto racing and college football commentator known for his career at ESPN, as well as a physician. Punch also does local radio spots in Knoxville. Punch is also a Principal Investigator for an award-winning clinical research company, Alliance for Multispecialty Research or AMR, in Knoxville.
Early life
Punch grew up in Newton, North Carolina.[1][2] He began his broadcasting career when he was selected to join the local radio station staff of Newton-Conover High School. The local radio station, WNNC in Newton, provided free air time to the local high school broadcasting organization with rotational assignments to aspiring broadcast journalists. Students at the high school auditioned for the much sought after staff positions. Punch was successful and was selected by fellow students to become a new reporter and, thus, he was permitted to participate in the weekly Saturday morning live broadcasts on WNNC.
Punch
Prior to his broadcasting career, Punch worked as an
Broadcasting career
Punch began radio broadcasting for
Punch has also been a pitlane reporter for the
On October 12, 2006, he was named the lead lap-by-lap commentator for ESPN's coverage of the
In 2015, after ESPN lost broadcast rights to NASCAR, Punch returned to his previous role as a
Punch also has been ESPN's expert for discussion of medical issues. He was consulted as a doctor in 1996 to report the condition of Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier, who would go undrafted in the NFL due to a blood clot in his left leg.
On April 26, 2017, after 30 years with ESPN, Punch was let go along with 99 other network employees.[7] He continued to be the pit road reporter until the 2017 Chevrolet Dual in Detroit, the final IndyCar race on ESPN's contract for 2017. He would later return for the 2018 IndyCar season to cover the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 as ABC airs its final year of IndyCar as NBC Sports has acquired the rights beginning in 2019.
In 2019, Punch returned to college football coverage with ESPN, serving as a part-time sideline reporter for games in 2019 and 2020.[8][9]
Medical role in incidents
In 1988, in two separate incidents, Punch helped with the rescue efforts after the wrecks of Rusty Wallace and Don Marmor.[10][3][6] In the case of Wallace's front-stretch crash at Bristol Motor Speedway, Punch happened to be on pit road at the time, and as a result, was the first person on the scene before the rescue crew could be scrambled. Punch's medical training proved pivotal, as Wallace was initially unconscious following the crash. Punch revived Wallace, who was able to start the following night's race with only minor injuries, driving for about half the race before giving his seat up to a relief driver.[5] Wallace later worked with Punch in ESPN's coverage of NASCAR.[3][5] In the case of the career-ending Marmor crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Punch (a trauma specialist) is credited with helping to save Marmor's life.[11]
In
Punch is also credited[by whom?] with helping to save Ernie Irvan following a practice crash at Michigan International Speedway in August 1994. Punch also had aided injured pit crew members on pit road in several races in the 1990s.
While Punch was addressing a Nashville Superspeedway media luncheon he was interrupted by a loud crash from the back of the room. Punch immediately rushed from the podium to the back of the room where Jenny Gill (daughter of singer-musician, Vince Gill), a Nashville Superspeedway intern, had fainted. Punch helped revive her, and she was taken to a local care center for observation and soon recovered, according to Sean Dozier, the Superspeedway's public relations director. Punch returned to the podium and resumed his speech.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b Link, Dave (November 15, 2015). "Final NASCAR Punch-line at ESPN". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d Peeler, Tim (May 27, 2016). "5 Questions With Jerry Punch". NC State News. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "ESPN Jerry Punch Bio". Archived from the original on 2012-10-21.
- ^ a b "Dr. Jerry Punch to headline Tennessee Baseball luncheon". WVLT-TV. Knoxville, Tennessee. April 10, 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-62368-047-3. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ a b c Gillispie, Tom (August 5, 2011). "Jerry Punch recalls Hickory roots: Passion for racing led to 27-year TV career". Hickory Daily Record. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- Deadspin.com. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Chippewas Ready for Aztecs in New Mexico Bowl". 20 December 2019.
- ^ "ESPN Continues its Industry-Leading College Football Coverage with Familiar Faces and Veteran Commentator Teams in 2020-21". 31 August 2020.
- ^ Dalton, Kyle (March 9, 2021). "Dr. Jerry Punch Recounts Incredible Story to Dale Earnhardt Jr. About Time He Saved Rusty Wallace From Dying a Bizarre Death After a Horrifying Accident". Sportscasting. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Dr. Jerry Punch has history on side at AMS" by Rick Minter, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 2011 September 1
- ^ Hall, Andy (April 10, 2012). "Punch's near miss led to safety gear for ESPN's NASCAR pit reporters". ESPN Front Row. Retrieved 8 November 2016.