Klein College alumni are legends in sports media. The Communicators: Klein College Alumni Speakers Bureau presents some of the key voices telling the stories of sports in this special panel discussion with celebrated author, producer and journalist Howard Bryant, KLN ’91, and radio voice of the Philadelphia Eagles, Merrill Reese, KLN ’64, moderated by Claire Smith, assistant professor of practice and founding executive director of the Claire Smith Center for Sports Media. 

The Communicators is presented by Temple University Alumni Association and Klein College of Media and Communication. 

About Howard Bryant 

Howard Bryant is an award-winning journalist, producer and the author of 11 books on sports, race and American culture, including The Last Hero (on Hank Aaron), The Heritage and Rickey. 

A longtime sports correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday and former ESPN writer, he has worked at outlets including The Washington Post and the Boston Herald. 

Bryant is a three-time National Magazine Award finalist and a two-time Casey Award winner, and his work has earned honors from the American Library Association and the National Association of Black Journalists. He is also an Emmy-winning producer, most recently for Netflix’s The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox, and he has collaborated on multiple documentaries with Ken Burns. 

About Merrill Reese 

Merrill Reese is in his 49th season as the play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia Eagles. He has been honored by eight halls of fame, including the Temple University Communications Hall of Fame, the Eagles Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he received the Pete Rozelle Radio and Television Award in 2024. 

A Philadelphia native and Temple University graduate, Reese was sports director of WRTI as a student, calling football, basketball and baseball. After serving in the U.S. Naval Reserves as a public affairs officer, he went on to become sports director of WIP, host ESPN’s NFL Dream Season and call tennis with Billie Jean King for the Madison Square Garden Network. He also spent 32 years mentoring young broadcasters as part-owner of a radio station in Bucks County.