More Proof of a Writing Career
In addition to being the editor for Bison Illustrated and Fighting Hawks Magazine, I wrote the majority of the content inside the magazines. If you click on the image or the title of the article, you will be sent to the website with the story. I have tried to combine a few human interest pieces I've written with the numerous sports profiles I've done over the past five years. Enjoy!
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz shredded the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football in 2017. I wrote a blog post about his big night and his involvment with one family's life off the field.
Don Morton was a legendary head coach for the North Dakota State football team. After a storied career on the sidelines that saw him coach at the University of Wisconsin, Morton returned to Fargo and was lured to an up-and-coming tech company. The company was later purchased by Microsoft. I spoke to Morton and many people close to him about how he will be remembered and his impact on North Dakota.
Levi Gagner has a heinous muscle wasting, life-limiting and ridiculously rare disease called L-CMD. I had a chance to meet him and his family and discuss their relationship with Bison Nation.
Former North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz gave us an exclusive interview before the 2016 NFL Draft. Wentz had shot up the draft boards since his appearance in the national championship game and he had a ton to share from the Senior Bowl to the NFL Combine.
Oral History of the First Game in the Fargodome
The 1993 football season was supposed to see NDSU return to the national championship stage. Led by a senior quarterback, NDSU was also opening a brand new indoor stadium. We go back to that Fargodome-opener and rediscover how quickly celebration turned to tragedy that doomed the 1993 season.
The FM RedHawks: An Independent Tradition
I love baseball. And growing up in the shadow of the Metrodome in Minnesota, I was crudely ignorant to the Independent Baseball culture across the country. The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks graciously allowed me to poke my head around to figure out who they are at the core and what makes their business of fun so successful in the North Dakota market.
Finding the Promised Land
NDSU pitcher Kevin Folman kept a detailed diary about his experience with the Bison baseball team as they bounced around the country through the first two weeks of their schedule. I turned his notes into a story about the struggles and shenanigans college teams go through while traveling for their sport.
For the people who know me, I fell in love with soccer a few years ago. I decided to pick a team to follow and support in the English Premier League shortly after I started watching the sport religiously. I documented the process on a google spreadsheet and the image above is what transpired.The club I chose, Crystal Palace, made a run to the FA Cup final the same season I decided to support them. I pitched the story idea of how I became a fan to a popular "fanzine" website called Five Year Plan. They liked it and I wrote an article that was featured on their website a couple days before the FA Cup match.
I talked to several former NDSU football players about what the Bison did from 2009 to 2011 to become world-beaters among their FCS peers.
Five seniors from the 2017 Bison football team sit down with us and discuss what it's really like playing for NDSU. What we thought was going to be a conversation about becoming a championship quickly turned into a chat about friendship and perseverance.
These were my favorite stories to write and I was fortunate enough to meet some amazing human beings throughout the process. I spoke to an Olympic bronze medalist, two 40-year olds running their 50th marathon, a cancer survivor and a group of friends rallying for their coworker who they were slowly losing to a cruel disease called ALS. These stories inspired me so much, I decided to put down my pen and paper, fasten my running shoes and knock out my first half marathon and full marathon in 2015 and 2016.
Want more? Shoot me an email: joe.kerlin06@gmail.com