You might recognize Jonathan Seamon as one of the ESPN3 reporters who sits on press row during Lipscomb men’s home basketball games. But the talented broadcaster’s history with the NCAA tournament-bound Bisons extends beyond his play-by-play work.
If you head a little ways south of campus, you’ll find Brentwood Hills Church of Christ. Within one of the administrative offices sits the Executive Minister, Seamon himself.
The former Lipscomb student and sports administrator’s office is decorated with posters, photographs, bobbleheads, basketballs, baseballs, mugs and everything in between. The common theme with most of his relics is the purple and gold. His current church position is an offspring of his Lipscomb tenure.
“I was thinking about going into adult education,” Seamon said, “and I was attending Brentwood Hills already, and they wanted me to teach a college class.
“So when I told them my interest, they came back and said, ‘Well, would you consider doing part-time youth work?’ So I spent several years as a youth minister, and then that kind of grew into a family
minister and then later into administrative.”
Seamon, a Mocksville, North Carolina-native, made his college decision back during the 1970s, thanks to his closest friend from childhood.
“We were part of Church of Christ,” Seamon said, “and my brother had gone to Lipscomb.”
Seamon primarily studied public administration, as well as government and minored in speech. He also held governor and presidential positions in different clubs at different times.
But the sports world could only wait for him for so long.
“I did coverage for the Babbler, the paper, at the time, and also doing public address announcing.”
A couple years after his 1977 graduation, Seamon enjoyed success with local Nashville television station Channel 5, a position which partially coincided with a two-year hiatus from Lipscomb.
But back at his alma mater, Seamon rose from sports-information director to athletic vice president, then from that to athletic director by 1989. At that point he was to Lipscomb what Philip Hutcheson is to the same school today.
“I was the AD when we made the decision to apply to the NCAA and go Division I,” Seamon said.
But this decision took two tries, and was controversial at best. Due to lack of financial means and opposition from coaches, Seamon and the school had to put the idea down the first time around.
“So we made a very strong decision that we were going to be the best NAIA school we could be.”
But the itch for Division I would eventually return. A new president and new sources of revenue brought the potential for NCAA play back into the conversation, and Lipscomb finalized it in 1999.
“I get called in, and the president says, ‘Why did we not go before?’ And I explained. He said, ‘Well I want you to open it up, restudy it.'”
Jim Allen’s “sizeable donation” for a stadium helped in finalizing the decision. Allen Arena exists today in lieu of McQuiddy Gym, the Bisons’ old NAIA-era stadium. However, the new development remained unacceptable to many Bisons personnel. “We still had coaches that didn’t like it,” Seamon said. “Coach Meyer didn’t like it, so Coach Meyer resigns. He steps out.”
Jonathan and his son Justin were on the broadcast team for the infamous Lipscomb-Belmont 2006 matchup, in which the chance for Lipscomb’s first NCAA bid slipped through their fingers in the waning moments.
“Well, whoever won that game was going to go. It was going to be big, and it turned out to be really big for Belmont.”
But Seamon had high praise for the Bisons team that has just recently clinched their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in a victory over FGCU. The fight for an upgrade into NCAA play nearly two decades prior has finally paid off.
“The chemistry of this team is good,” Seamon said. “A lot of times by the end the year, you can start seeing the little things aren’t coming together.”
While Seamon hasn’t had any administrative involvement at Lipscomb since 2000, he has continued to work his side job in play-by-play for Lipscomb.
Seamon’s position with ESPN3 originates from multiple decades of radio work as “the voice of the Bisons.” Justin has also been a part of his broadcast for a portion of those years. Both take their craft very seriously.
“A lot of people think, ‘Well, you just walk in the gym, do the game,'” Jonathan said. “No, you don’t want to just walk in the gym and do the game, you know. You spend hours before.”
Play-by-play broadcasting is ingrained within Seamon’s mind. “It’s kind of like my friend who’s an electrician. He said, ‘I can’t enter a room without looking at the lights or the switches or the outlets and seeing things. ‘Cause that’s what I live; I’m an electrician.’
“Well, I can’t watch a game without listening to the announcers or listen along the radio without picking up and seeing.”
Next time you’re unable to attend a Bisons men’s home game, be sure to open up WatchESPN and take at least a few minutes to listen. Seamon truly is a gem.