AU alumni David Gregory and David Aldridge have moved up in the world from their days at ATV and The Eagle.
Gregory, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and Aldridge, an NBA reporter and TNT analyst, came back to their alma mater Feb. 10 for a special broadcast of AU basketball coach Jeff Jones’ radio show, “The Jeff Jones Weekly Radio Show.”
Gregory, a 1992 graduate, said he came to D.C. because he wanted a career in journalism.
“I took it all very seriously,” Gregory said of his efforts at ATV and media aspirations.
Aldridge, a 1987 graduate, said he worked about 14 hours each production day putting together issues of the paper.
“A lot of people majored in philosophy or history,” Aldridge said. “I majored in The Eagle.”
While he was working on the student paper, which then came out weekly on Fridays, he bonded with his fellow Eagle staffers over headlines, deadlines and Associated Press Style.
“The memory is the work, being up there, editing ledes, arguing over editorials, writing headlines at two in the morning that fit that space exactly,” Aldridge said.
In college, both Aldridge and Gregory were motivated by a strong desire to be journalists. They added that sports can teach people to always aim for perfection.
“I’ve got young kids who are into sports, so I use sports figures as examples of that kind of practice, that kind of dedication,” Gregory said. “We can strive for perfection in these various areas and preparation is a key piece of that. I just think it’s a great lesson.”
But Aldridge said that even though athletes work toward excellence, it often goes unnoticed by reporters and spectators.
“One of the things I think that we fail at as journalists, especially in sports, is we never let people know how hard this is,” Aldridge said. “These are professional athletes, and they work extremely hard to be as good as they are. I like to bring that part of the game to people.”
Both Aldridge and Gregory said they are better on the sidelines than on the court. Aldridge said he had found himself better suited to cover sports than play them, while Gregory joked that his only advantage in basketball was his height.
But Gregory remembers the nighttime basketball scrimmages on campus, particularly with current Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, studied at AU’s Washington Semester Program during Gregory’s junior year.
“He reminded me that we used to play some pickup games, and there were some real ballers. Those were some rough games,” Gregory said.
Gregory said the passion in college sports is often stronger because students feel the need to be included in a community.
“That energy in college is different,” Gregory said. “Everyone is yearning for that same thing, a sense of belonging.”
lgiangreco@theeagleonline.com
