Rick Nyman

Sports Director

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Rick Nyman grew up in Anniston, Alabama and attended the University of Alabama. His television career started at WJSU-TV in Anniston where he had the opportunity to cover SEC football with Alabama and Auburn. Anniston is just 20 minutes from the Talladega Speedway, so NASCAR was a big part of his sports coverage. Due to this he was able to interview Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and several other top-name NASCAR drivers.

Rick’s next television job was in Savannah, Georgia, where he covered basketball player Kwame Brown (now with the Washington Wizards), who later became the first ever high school player selected as the top pick in the NBA draft. He covered the PGA Tour’s annual swing thru Hilton Head and also had the opportunity of covering the Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl appearance in 1999 in Miami.

Rick especially enjoys all the atmosphere, tradition and drama of college football. He also likes profiling sports personalities and learning what drives them both on and off the field. If he’s not covering sports, he’s either watching Seinfield or David Letterman, playing golf, reading, or working out. What he enjoys about Chattanooga is the passion people have for sports. The mountainous region of Chattanooga reminds him of his hometown of Anniston, which also has big, beautiful trees and plenty of hills.

You can contact Rick at rnyman@wdef.com.

Articles

Mocs Prepare For Top 15 Showdown With Furman

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Week five of the SoCon spring football season, and the Mocs and VMI are the only unbeaten conference teams. But Chattanooga faces a stiff challenge tomorrow as they face perennial SoCon power Furman. Don't look now but the Chattanooga…

Georgia Ready to Taste Spring Football Again

College football continues to slowly get back to normal with spring practices starting for the Georgia Bulldogs this week. The Dawgs doing the shuffle -- in positioning and coaching. News 12's Angela Moryan breaks down everything you need to know…

Vols Dealing With Life in Big Dance Bubble

Tennessee has already experienced March Madness before the NCAA tournament tips off. They're going stir crazy stuck in the Big Dance bubble. The NCAA brought the entire tournament to Indianapolis this year as a COVID precaution, and the Vols haven't…

Vols Suspend Football Activities Due to COVID

(utsports.com) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football program has temporarily paused all team activities out of an abundance of caution after its recent rounds of COVID-19 surveillance testing revealed multiple positive tests among staff members and student-athletes. Upon learning of the…

Titans Release Adoree Jackson and Dennis Kelly

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Titans are releasing a pair of starters in cornerback Adoree Jackson and right tackle Dennis Kelly to clear salary cap space. The Titans announced Tuesday they have informed both Jackson and Kelly they are…

Mocs Devonnsha Maxwell Among Nation’s Sacks Leaders

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Mocs defensive lineman Devonnsha Maxwell was an All-American last year as a sophomore when he led the SoCon in sacks with seven. Now he's on track to break that record in the SoCon's shortened spring season. Maxwell already has…

Chattanooga Red Wolves Home Opener Set For May 22nd

The Chattanooga Red Wolves learned on Tuesday that their home opener will be played on Saturday, May 22nd against Fort Lauderdale FC. The announcement was made alongside the rest of the USL League One's home openers for the 2021 season.…

Atlanta Falcons Facing More Salary Cap Cuts

The Atlanta Falcons are facing more salary cap cuts as they approach free agency. The Falcons rank near the bottom of the NFL in cap space. The team has new leadership with coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot.…

Braves Outfielder Nick Markakis Announces His Retirement

ATLANTA (AP) - Outfielder Nick Markakis has retired after 15-year career spent with the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles. The 37-year-od Markakis was a free agent. He told The Athletic that he was done playing after accumulating 2,388 hits, earning…

Vols Facing Florida in SEC Tournament Opener on Friday

(utsports.com) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee basketball team opens its run through the 2021 SEC Tournament with a Friday afternoon quarterfinal matchup with fifth-seeded Florida. Tipoff from Bridgestone Arena is set for approximately 2:30 p.m. ET ESPN. Fans can see Friday's…

Lebanon Edges Bradley Central 36-35 in State Tournament

Murfreesboro, TN-(WDEF-TV) The Bradley Central girls basketball team lost a heart-breaker in the state quarterfinals on Thursday falling 36-35 to Lebanon. The Bearettes took a one point lead with roughly 20 seconds to play on a lay-in by Karsee Webber.…

Mocs Freshman Anna Walker Enters Transfer Portal

Former Bradley Central stand-out Anna Walker is leaving the Chattanooga Mocs basketball team after her freshman season. Walker announced on social media Thursday that she has entered the transfer portal.  Walker played in 20 of the Mocs 24 games last…

Meigs Co Falls in the State Tournament 41-30 to Westview

Murfreesboro, TN-(WDEF-TV) The Meigs Co girls basketball team lost to Westview 41-30 in the state quarterfinals Wednesday in Murfreesboro. The game proved to be a defensive struggle as no player scored in double figures. Ansley Wade led the Tigers with…

Chatt State Sweeps Cleveland State 8-2 and 8-1

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Chattanooga State swept Cleveland State on Wednesday 8-2 and 8-1. In the first game, the Lady Tigers scored five runs in the second inning to go up 5-0. Camryn Cernuto had a 2 RBI triple in the inning. McCoy…

Titans Cut Another Defensive Back in Kenny Vaccaro

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Titans have cut two starters from their secondary with safety Kenny Vaccaro joining cornerback Malcolm Butler as salary-cap casualties. The Titans announced the cuts Wednesday with the moves hitting the NFL waiver wire. Butler’s…

Titans Release Veteran Defensive Back Malcolm Butler

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Titans released cornerback Malcolm Butler on Tuesday three years into the five-year deal he signed in March 2018, according to his agent Derek Simpson. Butler signed for more than $60 million in March 2018…

Vols Coach Josh Heupel Introduces Experienced Defensive Staff

(utsports.com) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With two more weeks of strength and conditioning leading up to the start of spring practice, Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel formally introduced his new defensive staff on Monday afternoon. The staff includes defensive coordinator Tim Banks, outside linebackers…

Boys State Sectional Scores

Cleveland  46 Blackman  43 Howard           56 York Institute  55 Upperman   61 Tyner           50 North Greene    64 CSAS                 53

Mocs Softball Shut Out Twice on Sunday

(gomocs.com) CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga Mocs softball team failed to get things going at the plate for the second-straight day, suffering a doubleheader sweep to Green Bay and Butler, both by 5-0 scores, on Sunday afternoon inside Jim Frost Stadium.…

Vols Take Down Florida in Regular Season Finale

(utsports.com) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A balanced offensive effort and a momentum-shifting, second-half run propelled the Tennessee basketball team past Florida, 65-54, on Senior Day inside Thompson-Boling Arena. The win secured the No. 4 seed and first-round bye for the Volunteers at…

Mocs Brace For Triple Option Attack Against Citadel

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) If college football coaches took a vote to outlaw the triple option, Mocs coach Rusty Wright would likely vote twice to do it. Chattanooga defends the dangerous offense Saturday against the Citadel. UTC's defense must get the Bulldogs off…

Mocs Expect More Drama With ETSU in SoCon Tourney Opener

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) The Chattanooga-ETSU rivalry reached a peak this year. The Mocs won both games on last-second shots -- breaking the Bucs ten game winning streak against Chattanooga. The two square off for a third time Saturday in the SoCon Tournament.…

LaFayette Coach Paul Ellis Resigns

LaFayette high school announced Friday that head football coach Paul Ellis has stepped down. A school press release stated:"He will be greatly missed on the Rambler sideline. Our sincerest best wishes go with Coach Ellis and his family. We thank…