Michael Admire discovered the Drake University community while covering one of the most severe flash floods to ever hit Des Moines in July 2018. In the following years, he became the backbone of Drake Sports Media, the social media platforms and podcast network that cover all Drake Athletics sports, as well as the play-by-play voice of Drake men’s basketball on the radio.
Now in his eighth year at Drake, Admire keeps his schedule jam-packed with covering the men’s basketball team, social media projects, the Drake Podcast Network and even some guest appearances on WHO13.
Admire began his career working at local stations in southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri. In January 2013, he moved to Des Moines and has worked in sports ever since. He was drawn to the city because of its outreach span, or media market size.
“I had a contract option out at 18 months,” Admire said. “If I found a job in a top 75 market, I could leave. Des Moines was, I think, 71 at the time, so I was like, all right, let’s go for it.”
Admire vividly remembers learning about the 2018 flooding that led him to Drake.
“We started hearing in the middle of the night that somebody had died in the floods,” Admire said. “And come to find out, it was Larry Cotlar, the play-by-play voice of the Drake Bulldogs.”
Being a local sports reporter, it was fitting that this was a major story for Admire to cover.
“Naturally, I became kind of the person that’s covering the story of Larry’s death, and so I was around Drake a lot and seeing everybody around Drake in that light where they kind of wrap their arms around Larry and his family. I was like, there’s something here that’s really interesting.”
He pitched a new role to Brian Hardin, the Drake Athletics director, and began immersing himself in the Bulldog community.
“I said, ‘Here’s what I can do. I can come in and be your storyteller, as well as do play-by-play for men’s basketball,’” Admire proposed. “I have all these skills that could translate, and I want to be at Drake.”
Admire has found his groove with his partner on the radio, Mike Swaim. Now in their second full season together, the duo feed off each other, and Swaim points to Admire’s professionalism that leads to a smooth broadcast.
“The first thing that stands out is just how prepared he is,” Swaim said. “He’s meticulous about not only the players that he’s broadcasting for Drake, but the opponents and the history.”
It takes time to find chemistry in the booth, but these two have clicked from day one, finding the right rhythm for a clean call.
“Between his detailed play-by-play and hopefully my explanation and enthusiasm for what I’ve seen, hopefully that puts together a great broadcast for the listener,” Swaim said.
Through being around the basketball team as much as he is, Admire has built up a relationship with Drake men’s basketball coach Eric Henderson, who praised Admire’s storytelling abilities.
“To be able to tell that story helps our fans, our alumni, the people that are interested in our program get to know these guys a little bit better,” Henderson said.
Being in a mid-major conference, Drake is often overlooked, something that drives Admire to be his best.
“I identify so much with Drake,” Admire said. “Even though we may be undersized, underfunded, all those things, we’re going to swing way above our weight class, and it’s because of the people behind the scenes working their tails off.”
