Behind the Scenes: Bob Rathbun

(Fox on the Fifty: Behind the Scenes is a weekly weekend feature taking readers one-on-one with top college football personalities to discuss their responsibilities, expectations and an abundance of stories from years spent in sports.)
Bob Rathbun remembers his beginnings in Salisbury, N.C., as a 12-year-old kid.
He recalls the first time he called play-by-play for an American Legion baseball game. He has calculated, to the hour, the time he spends preparing for games each week, the amount of energy it takes every time he gets behind the microphone to illustrate the inner workings of the Atlanta Hawks or a college football game.
Rathbun has served as the play-by-play announcer for the Hawks on Fox Sports South and SportSouth since 1996, winning the Georgia Sportscaster of the Year and multiple Emmy Awards for outstanding performance. Meanwhile, he also serves to call SEC games in the fall — making him a prime target for our Fox on the Fifty: Behind the Scenes pilot.
“It’s a labor of love,” Rathbun says of his efforts.
It’s a love that began with an interest in sports and radio, and transported him from rocky experiences calling football games through binoculars to hanging out with Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins every broadcast.
And this football season, it is a love that will take him to games across the South.
Count on one thing, he’ll remember it all.