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Desmond Purnell (third, from left) is one of four hosts for the SEC Gridiron Live on Fox SportsSouth. He is joined on the broadcast by (from left) James Bates, Elizabeth Moreau, and Tim Couch (far right).
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By CHUCK HATHCOCK
Sports Editor
Desmond Purnell was a 1998 graduate of Grenada High School.
He put together a solid career as a member of the Chargers’ football team. In fact, he was instrumental in GHS’ 45-28 win over Starkville High School during his senior season.
Following high school, he went on to Holmes Community College to play football for two seasons. After that, he moved to Miss. State where he made the team as a walk-on for two seasons.
Seeing that his football playing days were going to end following college, Purnell put his gifts of talking, writing, and English to good use. He became a sports television anchor. Today, he is part of one of the most successful programs on Fox Sports South called SEC Gridiron Live. Reporting on sports is something that keeps Purnell doing something that he loves.
“I really enjoy what I do,” Purnell said. “I was born with the gift of gab, and loved writing along with English. So, what better thing to do than talk about sports.”
The beginning
The son of George and Bobbie Purnell, Desmond got the bug to get into the business at a young age. It all started in Donna Gordon’s freshman English Class at Grenada High School.
“Mrs. Gordon wanted us to do our own television show,” Purnell said. “The class broke into groups. I was the host of the show. We had a producer and guests. I had so much fun that it stuck with me.”
A second influence came from the local newspaper, sports editor who covered him throughout his high school career.
“I always watch how our local sports editor (Chuck Hathcock) came out and took pictures and wrote stories on the game,” Purnell said. “I just knew that I wanted this as a career.”
Family influence
Purnell said his parents were always supportive of whatever each of the kids did. They just wanted them to be prepared for life after sports.
“Our parents were always supportive of whatever we did,” Purnell said. “They said if you were good enough to play sports, then do that. But, they wanted you to have a backup plan. Like all parents, they wanted more for you than they had growing up. The bottom line was they wanted us doing something that we loved and enjoyed doing.”
First job
After graduation, Purnell started his search for a job in television. He ended up at KEVN-TV in Rapid City, South Dakota. The experience was a culture shock for Purnell. He was leaving the South where he had been his entire life and going North. He was entering an area where there were 2-percent African Americans in the total population of the area.
“No one looked like me or talked like me,” Purnell said. “The whole experience matured me as a person.”
He stayed there 4-5 months. Throughout his time, Purnell let his actions speak louder than words.
“I always tried to let my actions and work ethic speak for myself,” Purnell said. “Before I left there, I thought I changed some views and opened some eyes”
Next stop was WABG-TV in Greenville. He worked as a sports anchor and was able to cover some area high schools and colleges.
After Greenville, Purnell ended up at CBS-19 in Tyler, Texas. That stint lasted almost 18 months.
He moved to the CW affiliate in Dallas 100 miles from Tyler. At this station, Purnell was the weeknight sports anchor.
Emmy
The high of his career probably came in 2009. That’s when he won his first Emmy for a special on the Farewell to Texas Stadium.
It was an hour-long program when the Dallas Cowboys said goodbye to their longtime stadium and moved to Cowboys stadium in Arlington.
His career continued to move up with his work with Fox Sports Network. Purnell also did some freelance work with the NFL Network covering stories on the Cowboys and Houston Texans.
He also covered the Texas Rangers along with college football for FoxSports. His primary job during games. This past season, Purnell was the sideline reporter for the Ole Miss-Tulane game in New Orleans.
Purnell interviewed for a chance to host the Atlanta Braves pregame show but was edged out by veteran sports announcer Fred Hickman.
But, that turned out to be a blessing. It wasn't long before he was approached concerning a spot on a new show called Gridiron Live. He interviewed and became one of the four hosts for the show.
New show
Currently, Purnell is working on a show for FoxSports entitled Next Class 2013. The show is devoted to the football recruiting season that concludes with national signing day in February. They highlight the top high school players in the country.
At the conclusion of the show, Purnell will work some covering Texas Rangers baseball this spring. His primary focus will be football.
Not bad for a guy that got his early start in a freshman English class.
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