by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Football is his passion and he loves talking about it with everyone and anyone as a national sportswriter for CBSSportsline.com and locally as a radio host on AM-930.
Pete Prisco, 47, took time out of his training camp tour to talk about his past, present and future recently. Outfitted in Florida casual — sherbet orange polo shirt, khaki shorts and flip-flops — the former Gators and Jaguars beat writer for the Florida Times-Union revealed how good his life is right now.
“I’m doing exactly what I want to do right now,” said Prisco. “I love covering the NFL for CBS. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
One of his annual contributions to the CBS Web site is his list of top 50 NFL players.
“I’ve done it for seven years now, but it took on a life of its own this year,” said Prisco. “I’ll see players who tell me I put them too low on the list. I take time putting the list together. It’s important to me.”
Number 49 on that list is the only Jaguar and also happens to be his favorite interview.
“Fred Taylor. Best guy in the whole league,” said Prisco, who had just interviewed Taylor for a story about his worthiness for the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
The respect was returned when Taylor was asked about Prisco.
“Pete’s honest,” said Taylor. “If you are stinking it up, he’s going to let you know it. But if you’re doing well, he’ll give you praise.”
The love fest dissipated a little when Taylor found out about his ranking in Prisco’s top 50.
“I haven’t quite seen (the list) yet,” said a smiling Taylor, the fifth of five running backs on the list. “He works with honesty, so if he feels that way that’s one thing.”
Taylor’s tone reverted back to one of respect when asked what it meant to have Prisco in his corner for Hall of Fame consideration.
“I respect him so much for that. Not a lot of people would vouch for me or even consider it,” said Taylor, who reached the 10,000-yard rushing mark last season. “He’s pushing it. He doesn’t have to, but he just feels that way. As a player I definitely don’t want to let him down.”
Deuce McCallister, Derrick Brooks, Mike Peterson, Tony Pashos and Peyton Manning are some of Prisco’s other favorite interviews. Prisco gets heckled by listeners and readers for the amount of respect he gives the Colts quarterback, but Prisco has never hidden his appreciation for the passing game.
“I’m a quarterback fan. Put the foot in the ground, make your read and throw the football,” said Prisco. “I’ve gotten to know (Peyton Manning) as a player. He likes talking football, I like talking football.”
Prisco began talking football as a kid growing up in Long Island, N.Y. who rooted for the Giants. He admitted that he doesn’t root for teams anymore, but he was happy to see a coach who he had a tumultuous relationship with get a Super Bowl victory.
“I liked seeing Tom (Coughlin) win,” said Prisco of the Jaguars’ first head coach. “I was at every one of those playoff games last year and spent time with him after the games. He’s a good football coach and has always been respectful to me and I’ve been respectful to him. Our relationship has actually gotten better since we’ve both gone to other jobs.”
One of Prisco’s former sports editors enjoyed the result of having the two strong-willed individuals in the same room on a constant basis.
“Those battles with Tom were beautiful,” said Joe DeSalvo, Florida Times-Union sports editor from 1992-96. “Tom had a disdain for Pete, but I think they respected each other.”
Prisco has developed a reputation as a tell-it-like-it-is type of reporter who normally asks the tough questions, and that hasn’t made his job easier at times.
“I’ve had guys threaten me and tell me they are going to take me out back and give me a beat down, but you can’t be afraid,” said the 5-foot-6-inch Prisco. “Don’t be afraid of the questions you are asking.”
Good reporters also aren’t afraid of venturing outside of the office. Prisco was seldom seen at the Times-Union’s Riverside Avenue building when working as a beat writer.
“I would go to the office to file my expenses and people would say ‘What are you doing in here? Glad to see you finally come into the office,’” said Prisco. “I used to look at them and say ‘How much news happens inside this building?’ None. You gotta get out and report. Nothing happens at your desk.”
A former editor described Prisco as a workaholic and a reporter “who didn’t know the clock.”
“It didn’t matter when it happened. Pete would pursue stories day and night,” said DeSalvo. “There were plenty of times when we had to tear up our front page because Pete would come up with a scoop.”
Sports became a front page staple when businessmen were involved with trying to land an NFL franchise in Jacksonville when the league decided to expand by two teams by 1993. During that time, Prisco progressed from covering the Gators to the NFL for the T-U.
“It was a natural progression for him to get involved with the pursuit of football here in Jacksonville,” said DeSalvo. “All due respect to Gator fans, but the pursuit of the Jaguars was the number one beat. This town has never been the same.”
The number one beat produced Prisco’s number one story. He points out the 1996 season as the most memorable he has covered.
“So many whacky things happened during that season,” said Prisco. “(Andre) Rison getting cut, Jimmy Smith’s emergence, the playoff run in Buffalo and Denver, and Morten Anderson’s missed field goal. The people of this town won’t like me saying this, but it’s the truth. The Florida Gators won the national championship on a Tuesday or a Wednesday and when the Jaguars beat the Broncos they forgot all about it. That’s when the Jaguars became Jacksonville’s team.”
Prisco teamed up with fellow T-U sports writer John Oehser to write a book chronicling the season called “From Jags to Riches.”
“Yeah, you can probably pick it up for about a nickel at a used book store,” said Prisco. “Writing a book takes a lot of time and work. If I had the time I’d like to write a book about (former Ohio State quarterback and convicted gambler) Art Schlichter.”
All of these opportunities were a result of Prisco’s success as a newspaper beat writer and he believes they need to change with the times or risk being in the unemployment line.
“Beat writers are going to have to adjust. They are going to have to be more analytical and opinionated rather than stating what happened,” said Prisco. “When I was working on the beat they used to tell me they didn’t want any opinion in my columns.
“I think the more opinion the better. People want to be stimulated. They want to argue. They want to be angry. Newspapers missed the boat on that.”
The Internet and radio give Prisco the platform to offer up his opinion on a regular basis.
“My catch phrase is ‘You are entitled to your wrong opinion.’ I love talking about sports with anyone who is passionate about it,” he said. “I miss it when I am away from it.”
Prisco spends an ample amount of time away from the studio during the preseason to visit training camps. He will visit 13 teams before the Jaguars start the regular season against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 7.
“The job itself is great. I love getting out to the training camps,” said Prisco. “The grind is the travel: the delays, bumps and missing connections.”
He was able to use his football knowledge to cash in on an upgrade in that area recently.
“I gave the guy fantasy football tips and he upgraded me to first class,” said Prisco, who has embraced the fan competition. “I understand the importance of it. It brings more fans.”
Talking with people and making connections is how Prisco has become a successful reporter.
“When I was covering (the Jaguars) I’d be here all day and I’d wait for the players to walk out to the parking lot,” said Prisco. “You got to build relationships with players. It can’t just be about what did you do on that play and what did you do on this play. You have to talk to them about their family and how they are doing. Kid ‘em around, you have to build relationship.”
A man with 25 years experience in the NFL, six of those working with Prisco, respects the job Prisco has done covering professional football.
“Pete is a pro who has developed a very good reputation around the league,” said Dan Edwards, Jaguars vice president of communications and media. “He has built good friendships and connections and is very conscientious about how he does his job.”
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