The name… the voice .. the delivery. Van Earl Wright seemingly had it all as a sports reporter for CNN and Fox Sports in the 1990s and 2000s. As if the first name, “Van Earl,’’ wasn’t enough, there was the Southern-accented, rapid-fire baritone voice and over-the-top deliveries heard twice hourly from 1989 to 1993 on CNN Headline Sports.
“A ball hit DEEEEEP into the night.’’
His boss at CNN Sports – the legendary Bill MacPhail – is reported to have said that Wright’s voice was second only to Larry King’s in audience familiarity at CNN. For the uninitiated in the world of sports broadcasting, MacPhail is the man who hired Pat Summerall, Jack Whittaker and Jim McKay at CBS.
With CNN Sports colleagues that included Fred Hickman and Nick Charles, it would be easy to say, “Those were the days.’’,’’ with colleagues that included Fred Hickman and Nick Charles, Wright likely will tell you, “These are the days,’’ as a self-described “Traveling Caddie.’’
A conversation with Wright – a few minutes following a recent loop at the new Apogee Club in Hobe Sound, FL. – is a talk with a 62-year-old father of three who is comfortable in his own skin after a tumultuous two decades that included a divorce, failed business opportunities, cocaine and rehab.
“I don’t think about (cocaine) anymore, which is a night and day difference from when I was addicted to it,’’ Wright said. “I would wake up each morning in the middle of those dark days and think, ‘Where can I get more?’’’
In 2007, he checked into New Found Life, a small rehab center in Long Beach, CA., near his home in Manhattan Beach.
“It was a fantastic experience,’’ Wright said. “I stayed a second 30-day period. I’m so glad I made that choice. It strengthened me.’’
Wright, who briefly worked at New Found Life, moved to Salt Lake City to work at a high-end treatment center. But following a divorce, he left Salt Lake City and for nearly seven years – until June 2020 – was back in broadcasting, this time at WSB-TV in Atlanta, a station his mother worked at as director of tours for 35 years.
“There is a hallway in the building that has artifacts and pictures of the station. There’s a picture on that wall of my mom conducting a tour That was quite a life circle for me.’’
The Covid pandemic cost Wright his job at WSB, which put him on another life circle – golf. As a high schooler and early into his college years at the University of South Carolina, Wright worked summers on the grounds crew at storied Peachtree Golf Club in his native Atlanta.
“I cut the grass.’’
In the Fall of 2020, Wright went from cutting the grass at Peachtree to walking its famous fairways.
“I really love Peachtree because of the people. And there I was 40 years later getting start as a caddie.’’
Over the past four-plus years, Wright’s loops have included Pebble Beach, Whistling Straits, PGA National and Old Marsh.
Working this Winter Season at Apogee, a private club co-owned by Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross, Wright lives the life of an itinerant looper – bunking with three other caddies in an apartment in Martin County, FL.
“It has simplified my life,’’ Wright said of the caddie life. “I donated all my furniture and some clothes to a non-profit. I move every six months with stuff that can fit in my car. I really don’t need much anymore.’’
That includes not needing the attention and fame that came with TV sports broadcasting.
“I say, ‘Hello my first name is Van Earl.’ Somebody might say, “The only time I’ve heard that name is on CNN or Fox.’ I say, ‘That’s me.’
“Someone will make a remark about my voice and say, ‘You should be an announcer.’ I’ll say, ‘That’s my former life.’
But Wright, on occasion, can’t resist falling back into sportscaster mode.
“I’ll heckle on the first tee. ‘He slices it…. SLAAAAPPED into right field. And a little kid from Jupiter goes home with a souvenir!’’
The name… the voice… the delivery.
Van Earl Wright at Pebble Beach (Van Earl Wright)