The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Moeglin giving back to JCU in a unique way
“He’s everywhere and anywhere.”
That’s the way Anthony Moeglin likes it as a John Carroll student-athlete.
That was John Carroll football coach Rick Finotti talking about Moeglin, who is proof as the team’s start quarterback there’s more to the college experience than just being the big man on campus.
That’s not how Moeglin thinks. He’s a member of the JCU football program, and another with the school’s sports information department.
Moeglin loves his sports. He came to JCU from St. Thomas Aquinas High School near the Canton area to be closer to the Cleveland area.
“I absolutely love it up here,” said Moeglin. “This is where I wanted to be.”
Moeglin has settled in to a unique role at the school. When he’s not playing football, Moeglin is one of the voices of the Blue Streaks on the school’s Internet station — the Blue-Gold Club.
He helps with the production of JCU sporting events, and also lends his play-byplay voice for an assortment of sports.
Moeglin has an affection for basketball. As a junior at Aquinas, he was part of a starting lineup that featured five guards and advanced to the Division IV state championship game in 2014.
Many times that season, Moeglin, at 5-foot11, guarded the opposing team’s top post player.
“Remember Carlton Bragg?” Moeglin asked about the former VASJ star. “That was me trying to guard him. I think I was up to his hips.”
No task was too big for Moeglin, and that ability has translated well to college. As a freshman QB in 2016, he guided to Blue Streaks to arguably the biggest win in school history when they defeated Mount Union, 31-28, to win the Ohio Athletic Conference outright. Moeglin threw the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds.
As a play-by-play announcer, no task is too big either. Moeglin is among a group of seven to eight JCU students that call JCU men’s and women’s sporting events. Moeglin calls basketball games, plus soccer matches. And lacrosse games. And baseball games. And softball
games. And volleyball matches.
“But I don’t call swim meets,” said Moeglin with a laugh. “Or wrestling. I know nothing about wrestling.”
He knew little in the way of broadcasting before college, but taught himself by watching YouTube clips. He came to JCU with dreams of becoming a sports broadcaster, but has shifted career goals to another angle. He’s now a business major, and working part-time for the Indians in their ticket sales department.
“The goal is to be a (sports) team president,” said Moeglin, who’s a junior with two years of eligibility to play football. He missed his freshman season with a shoulder injury.
Since arriving at the University Heights campus, Moeglin has been busy. If there’s a sporting event on campus, Moeglin is likely somewhere around the action. It’s the most he can do for the university he’s grown to love.
“People come to our football games, and the stands are full on a Saturday,” said Moeglin. “You John Carroll quarterback Anthony Moeglin during a Feb. 11 taping of the university’s “Streak Center” podcast.
go to a soccer on a Tuesday, and no one is in the stands. So it’s important for me to be there because they’re there on Saturdays to support us. I just want to be involved, and this gives me an avenue into John Carroll sports.”
As a member JCU’s sports information department, Moeglin and others call the games, take
pictures, shoot video and compile stats.
Moeglin is also a cohost with fellow student Ryan Tyrsansky for JCU’s “Streak Center” podcast, which debuted this semester.
“We try to do different things to get everyone involved,” said Moeglin.
The involvement of the team’s star QB beyond
football brings a smile to Chris Wenzler, the school’s longtime assistant athletic director for communications.
“I think the great thing about Division III, and at least our place is that athletes support other athletes,” said Wenzler. “(Moeglin) has shot video for softball to stats for lacrosse or just being in
the crowd for basketball (games).”
That was the case on Feb. 7 when the Blue Streaks hosted crosstown rival Baldwin Wallace. Moeglin and other football teammates staked one end line the entire game. They stood throughout and rooted on the team to a 77-70 win.
The game before on Feb. 3, Moeglin was in one upper-deck corner calling game action as JCU won big at home.
“Yeah, we notice him, whether he’s cheering for us or calling the game,” said JCU senior basketball player Tony Vuyancih, the team’s second-leading scorer and Euclid native. “I think it’s cool everything he does for our sports teams.”
Moeglin wouldn’t have it any other way for a college experience.
“It’s just fun to get to know everybody and they’re all great,” he said. “Every sport, I just love to be involved.”
Contact Podolski at MPodolski@News-Herald. com; On Twitter: @mpodo.