MID-SOUTH  SPORTS

	Lloyd Foster  on the air in the late 1950’s

Mid-South Sports was founded in February of 1990 for the purpose of promoting and producing sporting events in the Fayetteville/Cumberland County area.  The late Lloyd Foster, David Foster, Charles Koonce, and the late Don Koonce were the founding members.

The 2004-2005 school year marked the 52nd year that Lloyd Foster and WFNC Radio teamed to bring the best in high school football to the area. Since Lloyd’s death in January 2005, the tradition has continued through Charles’ and Dave’s leadership as co-owners.  Lloyd Foster joined WFNC Radio in 1952 broadcasting Fayetteville High School football games and, with the exception of the 1954-55 season, never missed a year.  Dave Foster joined the broadcast team in 1973, and Charles Koonce in 1979.   The group incorporated as Mid-South Sports, Inc. in 1990.  Don Koonce left the organization in 2003, and was replaced by Phil Cheatwood, a former Wake Forest University quarterback, and local attorney.  Steve Driggers and the late Donnie Dees, both a part of Mid-South Sports since its inception, moved up to take on more prominent roles – Steve handling color analyst duties, while Donnie took on the role of host for the weekly Scoreboard Show.  In 2005, Christopher and Andrew Foster, Lloyd’s grandsons joined the team.  Chris and Andrew served as sideline and color analysts, and Chris served as Corporate Attorney. Together the team has broadcast over 600 Fayetteville and Cumberland County football games, including 9 state championship games in the last 32 years.

In 2006 Mid-South Sports diversified and began broadcasting Methodist University football over radio station WAZZ, a Beasley Broadcasting company.  Each game was also webcast and archived on the Methodist University web site, www.methodist.edu.

In 2007, to reflect growth and further diversification, Mid-South Sports changed their name and logo to Mid-South Sports Network. Bill McMillan joined the team as a sideline analyst, and interviewer.  And in 2008, the Mid-South Sports Network teamed with Third Rail Creative Media to produce the Mid-South Sports Journal TV program which was seen locally over Time Warner Cable’s Community Channel Network.

In an additional growth strategy, Mid-South Sports has ventured into the Professional Golf arena broadcasting highlights from the 2007 USGA Women’s Open played in Pinehurst, NC.  In addition, and in collaboration with the Methodist University Professional Golf Management Program and ESPN Radio, Mid-South Sports produced the “Golf Tip of the Week”, a podcast that ran for several years.

In 2013, Ray Quesnel, Head Master of the Fayetteville Academy, joined the broadcast team as an analyst and statistician, and in 2015 the locally produced Friday Night Game of the Week moved to Beasley Media’s Sunny 94.3 FM as a regional simulcast.

2017 was a banner year as Mid-South Sports added Tim Lancaster to the Friday night crew, and continued the Game of the Week, and Methodist University broadcasts.  In addition, Mid-South Sports was named as the radio “voice of the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas” – the oldest high school all star contest in the United States.

 

THE MID-SOUTH SPORTS TEAM

Lloyd Foster Founder	Charles Koonce President	Dave Foster Vice President
Steve Driggers	Donnie Dees	Bill McMillan
Ray Quesnel	Gaundi Allen	Larry Davis
Russ Adair	Chris Koonce	Justin Flowers
Jeffrey Smith

 

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