Position with Super Bowl champions is keeping 2005 Notre Dame alum busy in Colorado.
When 2005 Notre Dame alum Matt Boyer matriculated to the University of Michigan, he fully intended to eventually pursue a career in law. So he double-majored in political science and communications, thinking that both would be useful in law school and for a career as an attorney. Boyer even applied to and was accepted to the University of Toledo’s law school, where he planned on enrolling after graduating from Michigan.
But then he was bitten hard by the journalism bug.
“During my senior year at Michigan in 2009, I was working as a high school sports reporter for a TV show called ‘High School Hammertime’ on Fox Sports Detroit,” he recalled. “I still planned to go to law school the fall, but I had an incredible passion for the work I was doing with FSD. Then, when my boss there offered me more hours and a raise that summer, I decided to put off law school and take a chance in sports broadcasting.”
He thought that if sports broadcasting didn’t work out, he would just go back to his plan A and attend law school the following year.
Boyer is in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., prior to Super Bowl 50.
But, it appears, things did work out and Boyer now is employed full time with the Denver Broncos Football Club as a coordinating producer and reporter for the team’s digital media department. Which isn’t such a bad gig, it turns out, since the Broncos just won Super Bowl 50 and Boyer was on hand in Santa Clara last weekend for all the goings on.
But getting from “High School Hammertime” to the Super Bowl champions wasn’t necessarily on a smooth and straight road for Boyer, however.
After his stint with “Hammertime” ended in January 2010, Boyer applied for every sports broadcasting job he could find and eventually landed a job as sports director at KYMA-TV in Yuma, Arizona, where he worked for two-and-half years. Then, he accepted a sports photographer position at KUSA-TV in Denver, Colo., and eventually worked his way up to being a sports reporter/multimedia journalist with the station.
After three years with KUSA-TV, Boyer accepted the job with the Broncos and he’s never looked back. Well, actually he did look back, but only to help him better understand how and why he thinks he eventually landed such a plum job.
“I’m so thankful that my parents helped send me to such a great high school and college,” he said. “I was able to try a lot of different activities in both schools, and then figure out which one I thought might best lead me to a career I would love.
“I also thank NDP for giving me my first taste of journalism because that’s where I first started to really grow as a writer,” Boyer added. “When I got to U-M, writing and reporting for a living was not on my career horizon, but now that I think about it, high school was the first time I found out how much I actually enjoyed that type of work.”
Boyer noted that he will always be incredibly grateful to the many teachers at Notre Dame, including John Mills for showing him what great writing looked like and how to enjoy it. He said he also loved being able to write for The Leprechaun student newspaper at NDP, and he had a special shoutout to teachers John Smith and Ed Davis, who he said were incredibly helpful to him.
“I also loved playing on NDP’s varsity tennis team,” he said. “I made friends on that team with people I still consider to be my best friends today.”
Boyer said it’s always great to see NDP faculty and staff whenever he’s back in Michigan.
“Recently, I was lucky enough to be in a wedding in Michigan and the ceremony was officiated by Father Joe,” Boyer said. “Catching up with him reminded me of how great the staff really is at that school.”
It is clear that Boyer appreciates the time he spent at Notre Dame. But it’s even more clear that he especially thankful for the role his family has played in his life.
“I’m incredibly grateful to my family for helping me get to this point in my career,” he said. “Without them and their support, I wouldn’t have the type of career I’ve had so far. It’s also a great feeling to be able to celebrate my accomplishments with them, including the exciting Super Bowl run the Broncos had this past season!”
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.