Monday, October 13, 2008

Mike Logan honored for work as voice of Providence College hockey

Two weeks after he exchanged wedding vows with his wife, Debbie, Mike Logan was named the voice of Providence College hockey.

Thirteen years later, the honeymoon continues.

A Rockland High School graduate, Middleboro resident and former on-air personality at Taunton radio station WPEP, Logan was recently named the 17th recipient of the Joe Concannon Media Award, which is presented annually to a person “who demonstrates a superior body of work in covering and promoting Hockey East over an extended period of time.”

“The nicest honor is when you work to do a job you love and your peers take a moment to say you’re doing it the right way,” said Logan. “That means something. That’s the most touching and humbling thing.”

It was 1995 and the Logans had just returned from their honeymoon in Alaska when Mike’s association with PC began.

Now in its 14th season, the relationship is still going strong.

“Like I said (when presented the award at the 25th annual Hockey East Media Day held Sept. 29 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston), I hope it continues,” said Logan. “I’d love to do this another 30 years.”

A Northeastern University graduate (1991) wed to Providence College hockey? Talk about an odd couple.

“There’s still nothing like seeing Northeastern beat BU or BC,” said Logan. “I still root for Northeastern, only now it’s all but three dates a year.”

Logan had family ties to PC long before he stepped into the broadcast booth. His grandfather, Taunton native Joe Harraghy, was the captain of the Friars’ 1930 baseball team.

“Sixty-five years later,” said Logan, “I was hired to do their games.”

Logan, who played baseball (first base) and football (an offensive lineman his senior year) for Ken Owen’s Bulldogs at Rockland High, attended the University of Maine for two years before transferring to Northeastern where he earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism.

Fresh out of Northeastern, Logan was hired by WPEP where he virtually did it all — from news to calling high school games to serving as morning host — over the years.

“I was lucky,” said Logan. “I was 22, six months out of college, and there I was doing high school games on the air.”

In November 2000, Logan made the move to WJDA in Quincy where he worked as the station’s news director through May 2006.

Nowadays, both Logan and his wife, who are the parents of a 10-year-old daughter, Abbey, are employed as middle school English teachers in Taunton: Mike at the Parker School; Debbie at the Martin.

“First year, I learned more than the kids did,” said Logan, who is now in his third year teaching. “It’s a challenge. It’s like going in to do news on the radio. You never knew where the day was going to take you. There’s a schedule, but class to class you never know where the day is going to take you.”

The night may take Logan in a number of directions as well, but the final destination point is often a broadcast booth.

In addition to calling the PC men’s hockey games on either the Internet (Friars.com), Woonsocket radio station WOON (1240-AM) or Cox Sports TV, Logan has also called some women’s hockey games and both men’s and women’s basketball.

Since 2001, Logan has run MWL Sports — duties which call upon him to lend his voice to the 11 high school football games it will carry over either the Internet (MWLSports.com), Middleboro radio station WVBF (1530-AM) or Somerset radio station WSAR (1480-AM) this season.

“I sell it, I produce it, and I do at least half of the games,” said Logan.

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