Olympics Wrestling PA Announcer finds community, belonging as Voice of the Huskies

Jason Bryant has emerged as one of the top wrestling public address (PA) announcers in the world over the past decade.

The numbers speak for themselves: 25 collegiate wrestling national championship events, seven world championship events and three editions of the Summer Olympics.

So how did an avid wrestling fan end up as the voice of a Division I men's hockey team?

When longtime PA announcer Chuck Clausen retired in 2022 after 32 years with St. Cloud State University Men's Hockey, a significant role needed to be filled.

Bryant first saw the job posting on a PA announcing Facebook group. He showed it to his wife Abby, who encouraged him to give it a try.

"We opened up a search not knowing where it would go, and a lot of people wanted to be the next voice of the Huskies," said Andrew Melroe, Assistant Athletics Director for Athletic Communications. "I was surprised and happy when I saw he had applied, I hoped we could make it work … any time I can add to the Husky family, I'm happy to do so."

Bryant didn't feel his in-person audition went great, so he was a bit surprised when he was offered the position. Prior to SCSU's 2022-23 season opener against St. Thomas, he'd only seen one college hockey game live in his life.

Did he feel ready to call one in-person?

"I've done the Olympics; nothing is more pressure-packed than that," Bryant said. "But our staff was so awesome at answering my questions; it didn't take long for me to absolutely love Husky Hockey."

Wrestling origins

Ever since he was a kid, Bryant knew he wanted to be a sportscaster.

During his freshman year at Poquoson High School, he was approached to try his hand at PA announcing for the baseball team. It was a small school in Virginia, so he quickly added women's basketball and volleyball to his PA responsibilities his sophomore year.

"I knew I needed to know as much as I could about every sport possible," Bryant said. "I have to get into stats since I wanted to be on SportsCenter."

Bryant would announce the lineups, keep stats and join for road games. But it was watching a different sport his sophomore year that his future broadcasting career changed forever: when he attended his first wrestling match.

Poquoson High had a solid wrestling tradition and had won nine state titles. He attended his first dual meet on a Wednesday, and two days later he was back around the mats at the Virginia Duals. His high school knocked off the No. 18-ranked school in the country, and he was instantly hooked.

By the end of high school, he had begun to get connected with sports directors and reporters in the area, and when he went to college at Old Dominion University in 1997, his website Mat Talk Online was born out of his dorm room. It had a popular message board, and the website still lives on nearly three decades later as a prominent media production outlet for wrestling podcasts and digital publications.

After successful stints working in media relations and marketing with the National Wrestling Coaches Association and USA Wrestling after college, he wanted the chance to branch out as an individual in 2012. Along with reviving Mat Talk Online, being able to set his own schedule allowed Bryant the flexibility to pick and choose events that could advance his broadcast career.

A big step was a serving as the English PA announcer at the 2015 UWW Wrestling World Championships in Las Vegas. The following year he began working as the PA announcer for Division I, III and NAIA Wrestling, and shortly afterwards international opportunities took off. He's been the PA announcer at 25 collegiate national wrestling championships since 2016.

The atmosphere for the national championship events is electric. The tournaments often start with a total of 16 wrestlers at eight mats, with two announcers splitting up the announcing duties.

Bryant is in charge of introducing every wrestler, announcing every winner and helping the audience find significance in the constant action and motion. He likens it to being a traffic cop match after match.

"I'm there to tell people what's important," Bryant said. "The strengths of my historical research add to my role as an announcer; I'm trying to educate the fanbase with information and give the athletes a moment."

Bryant attended his first Olympics as part of USA Wrestling in 2012, and he's now gotten to put his wealth of wrestling knowledge on display as the English PA announcer at the last three iterations.

After a fan-less experience in Tokyo in 2021, he was thrilled to have packed stadiums again in Paris last summer.

"The Olympic experience is special and reverent; livelihoods are made or broken in seconds," Bryant said. "It's powerful and hard to explain."

The Olympics have a deep meaning for Bryant, who has shown his love for the games by his two children's middle names: Lucy London (born in 2012) and Ruby Rio (born in 2016).

"I get to hear my voice in international clips and be a soundtrack to the Olympics- that's pretty fricken cool," he said.

But the best moment of all? When an American wrestler takes home a medal and he get to rise and put his hand over his heart for the national anthem as a member of Team USA is honored.

"It gets me choked up every time," Bryant said.

Voice of the Huskies

After Bryant's first year as the SCSU Hockey PA announcer, Melroe approached him about adding SCSU Wrestling PA announcing to his already full plate in 2023-24. He had previously seen Bryant in action for years at the NCAA events when Melroe worked for the University of Missouri's wrestling program, citing him as a reason the events had such a stellar atmosphere.

"I wanted to have him help tell the story of SCSU Wrestling," Melroe said. "It shows his kind heart and servant leadership that he wanted to make it work."

Bryant was already serving as the home PA announcer for Division I Arkansas-Little Rock and Division III Augsburg. As a new diehard fan of all things SCSU, the chance to be involved with the five-time Division II national champion Huskies program was something he was eager to tackle.

"He adds to the atmosphere of a wrestling dual or any event he calls," Melroe said. "He's also great at looking at how we can improve the gameday atmosphere for all of our sports; we're constantly trying to figure out how to make the best experience for our fans."

Bryant is all-in on SCSU fans and traditions, and loves the opportunity to get the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on their feet.

"Jason has been so fun to work with," said Nora Lieser, Associate Athletics Director of External Operations. "He is so talented and brings our men's hockey games to the next level with his announcing. He also brings a lot of laughter to our production crew."

A significant turning point in his SCSU journey came during his first fall announcing hockey. Following a homecoming sweep against Minnesota State-Mankato, he felt a spark. It was as if his passion for sports had been reinvigorated.

"I get to be the home guy, fist pump and be a fan," Bryant said. "That's something I haven't had in a very long time."

"SCSU is now a big part of my world"

Bryant graduated from Old Dominion University in 2004, and he was a huge advocate for the school and its athletic programs in the decades that followed. But once they cut wrestling as a sport in 2020, he felt a disconnect from the school.

"Having a school to be part of is important to me; that's a special thing," Bryant said. "Coming to St. Cloud was a shot in the dark, and I didn't expect it would help fill a college emptiness. It provided an opportunity I didn't know I needed for a passion I didn't even know I had."

Coaches are still getting used to seeing the red, black and white colors that replaced his former blue and silver wardrobe. Bryant always serves as a billboard for his favorite school, whether it's at the Wrestling World Championships in Serbia or the Summer Olympics in Paris.

"I earned the Husky appreciation award after one year here," Bryant recalled, almost in disbelief. "They definitely care about people."

And his new Huskies Athletics family believes the award is well deserved.

"He really cares about getting it right for the student athletes, and we value his attention to detail," Melroe said. "He loves to be around student athletes and use his talents to showcase them. He's really taken to the Husky fanbase and gotten to know them; to have someone with his ability at SCSU is a treat."

"Jason has been a great addition to the Huskies Athletics family," added Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner. "He has brought a new energy and passion to our gameday environments. We are so thankful for his commitment to help us continue to grow."

That 55-minute drive to St. Cloud from his home in New Brighton feels shorter with each passing season. It may have taken him over 40 years, but hockey and a university in Central Minnesota now have a special place in his heart.

"If I had grown up in Minnesota, I would've gone to SCSU," Bryant said. "The kids are so far ahead in what SCSU offers for someone wanting be in sports broadcasting and journalism; you can't turn on a station in the Twin Cities without seeing an SCSU grad.

"I have a fondness for what opportunities this school brings to people like me," he concluded. "SCSU is now a big part of my world."

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