New York Lawyer
February 11, 2004
By the staff of Texas Lawyer
Dallas labor attorney Kelly Milligan believes that he . . . could . . . go . . . all . . . the . . . waaay, as legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell was fond of saying.
Milligan, of counsel with Clouse, Dunn & Hirsch, is one of 12 contestants on "Dream Job," a reality television show produced by ESPN that will debut Sunday, Feb. 22. If successful, Milligan will win a one-year contract to become an ESPN "SportsCenter" broadcaster.
"There's no doubt that it's a dream job," says Milligan, whose undergraduate degree is in journalism. "There is no doubt that it can open some new doors for me."
Milligan, 37, is a sports fanatic who hosts "Husker Power Hour," a weekly radio show on KSKY 660AM that discusses and analyzes the University of Nebraska sports teams. (Born in Nebraska, he's a Huskers fan.) So when he learned that ESPN was seeking candidates for their new show, he jumped at the opportunity.
Although there were tryouts in Dallas, Milligan actually went through the first round of the competition on Oct. 26, 2003, in Houston with more than 400 other aspiring sports broadcasters. During the tryout he had to take a 30-question sports quiz, participate in a roundtable discussion on issues facing the sports world and read a play-by-play account for the show's producers. Milligan made the cut and did it all over again in Atlanta, then advanced to the next round that took place in New York in December 2003. After that, ESPN whittled down their selection to 11 finalists and one wildcard contestant. More than 10,000 people competed for the show.
Each week the contestants must perform various duties typically performed by sports journalists. A panel of judges will review their performance and will disqualify one contestant each week until the March 28 finale. The program airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. CST beginning on Feb. 22.
Milligan believes the 12 finalists -— 10 men and two women —- he is competing against are tough but he's confident his chances of being successful are good. And the prospect of moving to Bristol, Conn., ESPN's home, is something he seriously considered before he tried out.
"My wife is a successful real estate agent [in Plano] and we're expecting our first child in June so we will keep our ties here," he says. "We realize we're entering some uncharted waters but it's not everyday a person gets a shot at following their dream."
