On a cool November morning in 2007, recent Mississippi State graduate Terrence Johnson stood on the sidelines of Scott Field and focused his camera before the University of Alabama center hiked the ball.
Working as a freelancer for Jefferson Pilot Sports, he followed the play action and held his camcorder steady until MSU defensive back Anthony Johnson intercepted the Tide’s quarterback for a 100-yard pick six just seconds before halftime.
As the Bulldog’s No. 11 took off toward the endzone, Johnson matched his stride, step for step—camera bouncing on his shoulder—in an effort to preserve a Maroon and White memory. That game, in which MSU football took down its Highway 82 nemesis, is one that will be relived for generations.
The play still resonates through fans’ stories, radio and replays.
“I ran from the opposite side all the way to the end zone,” Johnson recalls. “I don’t know what my camera shots looked like or even if we used the footage, but I was just so excited when he caught that ball.”
Nearly 20 years later, Johnson now edits the footage to capture those pivotal sports moments. As a contractor with CBS, he manages the instant replay clips for millions of viewers—having covered big sports moments including the Olympic Games, Stanley Cups, World Series and women’s and men’s NBA championships.
Still, before the start of 2024, he had one more box to check.
“It was the only one I hadn’t done,” he said. “I had been waiting on it.”
In February, Johnson was one of 38 replay operators at Super Bowl LVIII who set up shop in 53-foot trailers outfitted with televisions, monitors and other equipment stationed beneath the field of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
He, along with nearly 300 broadcasting personnel, successfully aired what was rated as the most-watched televised event since the 1969 moon landing.
Johnson said he loved every intense moment.
“I’ve always loved high-pressure environments. Being able to turn things around fast at MSU gave me that experience,” he said. “I love the environment of the game and that I can be artistic and help bring the energy of the stadium into people’s homes.”
Loyal Friends We’ll Always Be
After finishing the broadcast for Super Bowl LVIII, Johnson laid on the football field and thought about the experiences that brought him to this broadcasting milestone. With confetti still in piles around him, he thought of his college mentors Karyn Brown and Bennie Ashford.
“Karyn allowed me to produce and direct. She gave us experience producing shows,” he said. “She literally let you go as far as you wanted to go to learn the business. She would walk you through and fill in the gaps in what you were missing but still gave you the latitude to figure things out. I just don’t think there are many programs out there that give you those opportunities.”
Brown remembers seeing Johnson in class and quickly realizing he had the four traits necessary to succeed at an elite level.
“He sought every opportunity here, stayed humble, asked me questions and never acted as if he knew all the answers,” she said. “You don’t often see the fruits of your labor right away in education, but to see him make it big? That’s what we want for all our students—to find a career they love and can excel in.”
Johnson recalled many critical conversations while walking with Ashford from supply closets to sporting events. Though Johnson thought those experiences were casual, Ashford, who worked as a producer with the University Television Center at the time, knew then he was playing a part in Johnson’s education and broadcasting experience.
“I always told students to be a sponge,” said Ashford, who recently retired as an associate athletic director with Hail State Productions, Bulldog athletics’ broadcasting arm. “A lot of learning starts by just listening. Terrence did. He has this contagious personality. He enjoys work, can master the technology and really works well on a team. It’s amazing to see Terrence able to ascend because of his passion.”
For Johnson, that MSU bond doesn’t stop with his former classmates, professors or friends. It’s all Bulldogs. In addition to the Super Bowl, Johnson covered several Kansas City Chief games—watching former MSU players Chris Jones and Willie Gay play. With several MSU graduates playing throughout the NFL, Johnson always checks the roster and wears maroon and white whenever a fellow Bulldog is taking the field.
“There was this one game up in New England, the Patriots were playing the Cowboys,” Johnson recalled. “Dak Prescott walked through the compound and saw my Mississippi State shirt and gave me a fist bump. It was quick, but it was an acknowledgment of that Mississippi State bond. He played his tail off in that game, too.”
A New NFL
The 2023-24 NFL season captured higher than average viewership thanks to worldwide pop star Taylor Swift, who began a relationship with Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce. While Johnson walked the field before kick-offs this season, he said he noticed the environmental shift.
“You could literally see the effect that Taylor Swift had on the NFL in real time,” he said. “It was amazing, the number of fathers and daughters in Travis Kelce jerseys. You could just tell there was a totally new fan base.”
That “new fan base” for the NFL spurred new interest in Johnson’s life and career as well. His nieces, who previously had no interest in his broadcasting career, started to watch games, ask him questions and wanted to understand what their uncle did.
“Growing up in the South, watching football is a family thing,” he said. “It wasn’t a gender thing. On weekends everybody watched the game, but to see some people who had no interest in sports at all now have a vested interest in how someone is playing on the field—seeing that transformation is really, really cool.”
Johnson was always passionate about sports broadcasting, originally wanting to be the one on camera. He admits that dream still is always with him but is thankful for how his university prepared him to pursue and excel in a field he loves.
“I knew I wanted to be in broadcast, but I just wasn’t exactly sure how to make it work,” he said. “I was always working on something in college—audio editing, my transitions, building video effects. A school like MSU, you can go as far as you want. There’s that opportunity to do anything.”
By Mary Pollitz, Photos Submitted