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

Friday Night High School Hoops

In high school basketball on Friday evening, Chattanooga Christian entertained Hamilton Heights. The Hawks are ranked 7th nationally by Max Preps. Chargers kept it close in the first quarter, trailing just 19-16 after one period. But Hamilton Heights turned it…

Top Ranked Cleveland Wrestling Beats Rival Bradley Central

Cleveland, TN-(WDEF-TV) In one of the premiere high school wrestling rivalries, top ranked Cleveland beat third ranked Bradley Central 42-27 on Thursday night at Bradley Central high school. The Blue Raiders opened the match with four consecutive pins, including Nate…

Lady Vols Crush Ole Miss 84-28

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Rennia Davis had 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting and No. 23 Tennessee beat Mississippi 84-28, limiting the Rebels to their fewest points in program history. It was Tennessee's largest margin of victory against a Southeastern Conference…

Mike Leach Taking Miss State Job

Mike Leach is leaving Washington State to take over the head football coaching job at Mississippi State. Leach will replace Joe Moorhead, who was fired last week after two seasons. The Bulldogs landed one of the most successful head coaches…

Dawgs OL Cade Mays Transfers to Tennessee

Offensive lineman Cade Mays is leaving Georgia and returning to his hometown to continue his college football career at Tennessee. Mays' attorney says the offensive lineman will have a strong case to be granted immediate eligibility in 2020. Tom Mars…

Vols OL Trey Smith Returning For Senior Year on Rocky Top

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee offensive guard Trey Smith says he will return to school for his senior year after making a successful comeback from a career-threatening medical issue to earn first-team, all-Southeastern Conference honors this year. Smith played all…

Second Half Scoring Slump Dooms Mocs in Loss to Furman

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Mike Bothwell had a career-high 27 points as Furman won its seventh consecutive game, topping Chattanooga 73-66. Furman held Chattanooga scoreless for nearly nine minutes in the second half as it turned a 50-47 deficit into…

Former Mocs QB Cole Copeland Rejoining the Team

A familiar face is back with the Chattanooga football team. UTC's sports information has confirmed that former Mocs quarterback Cole Copeland has rejoined the team after missing the last two seasons. Copeland was suspended for the entire 2018 season reportedly…

Georgia QB Jake Fromm Turning Pro

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm is heading to the NFL. Fromm announced his decision on Twitter, saying he's ready to “pursue his lifelong dream” despite some struggles this past season that led to speculation he might return for…

Grant Johnson Making Positive Impact For Baylor Hoops

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Baylor senior Grant Johnson is not only one of the top students in the classroom. He's also a dedicated student of the game of basketball. Johnson's patience and perseverance make him an exemplary player on the talented Red Raider…

Lee Flames Enjoy Sweep of Union

Cleveland, TN-(WDEF-TV) The Lee men and women's basketball teams both posted a home win over Union on Saturday. The Lady Flames tallied a 71-67 victory. Camryn Grant had a career high 18 points to lead the Lady Flames. The men…

Friday Night Basketball Highlights

In Friday night hoops, Tyner beat rival Howard 65-62 in a battle for first place in their district. Boyd Buchanan avenged an earlier season loss to Chattanooga Christian by beating the Chargers Friday 49-41. And the Signal Mountain girls beat…

Titans Look to Dent Patriots Dynasty

Can the Tennessee Titans put a dent in the Patriots dynasty? They'll give it a shot Saturday night in the opening round of the NFL playoffs. The Titans head to Foxboro with the league's top rusher in Derrick Henry, and…

Georgia RB D’Andre Swift Turning Pro

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Georgia is losing its leading rusher to the NFL. Junior DÁndre Swift has announced his plans to enter the NFL draft. The decision was expected after Swift led the Bulldogs in rushing for the second straight…

Lady Vols Win SEC Opener Over Missouri

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Rennia Davis had 19 points and 12 rebounds as No. 22 Tennessee defeated Missouri 77-66 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Tamari Key scored 16 points and Jordan Horston added 13 as Tennessee handed…

Georgia Looks Sharp in Sugar Bowl Win Over Baylor

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - George Pickens caught 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, and No. 5 Georgia defeated eighth-ranked Baylor 26-14 in the Sugar Bowl. Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer was knocked out of the game in the fourth…

Vols Remind Indiana of Penn State

Indiana coach Tom Allen likes to compare new opponents to those the Hoosiers play regularly. Tennessee reminds him of a Big 10 rival in 10th ranked Penn State. Allen says the Vols physicality, size, and strength of the offensive and…

Minnesota Upsets Auburn in Outback Bowl

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Tyler Johnson had 12 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns to become Minnesota’s career receiving leader and propel the 16th-ranked Gophers to a 31-24 victory over No. 9 Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Johnson broke…

Titans QB Ryan Tannehill Set For NFL Playoff Debut

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Ryan Tannehill has gone from being traded away in March to preparing for his biggest moment yet. The Titans quarterback will make his postseason debut finally after eight seasons and 100 games played and on his…