Athletes and coaches may be the stars of the show in Ole Miss Athletics. The behind-the-scenes technical work, however, often ensures Rebel fans across the country have a fantastic game-day experience. Two important, yet often unsung, heroes of the broadcasts are Jimmy Dickerson and David Dillard.
Dickerson is the senior director of live productions in the university’s athletics department. His crew is largely responsible for creating the high-energy atmosphere within the stadiums, producing the graphics, camera shots and replays displayed on videoboards.
Dickerson’s crew consists of 20-25 students, two engineers and an assistant director; he believes that all of these individuals are highly capable and that the quality of their work speaks for itself.
“I see us as a top-notch place, even though we don’t have as many people (as other in-venue productions services),” Dickerson said in an interview with The Daily Mississippian. “Our administration is dependent on us to put on a good show, and they’ve seen the results.”
Students have noticed the results, as well. Jumbotrons, for instance, have enhanced the experience of sporting events for some students.
“I don’t really understand football, so like it (the field) being so far away doesn’t really help that. But I like to watch the jumbotron more because it’s just easier on the eyes,” freshman pharmacy major Reese Wilson said.
For sophomore integrated marketing communications major Wade Neyland, the videoboards increase fan participation at games.
“I’d say that (jumbotrons) definitely get people involved, and kind of creates more ‘oohs’ and ‘awes,’” Neyland said.
Game days are long commitments for the crew, but Dickerson emphasizes that long hours are necessary for proper preparation and execution.
“We come in probably two-and-a-half to three hours before the game starts,” Dickerson said. “We just go through everything … cameras, turning them on, making sure they work. They are (all) connected — graphics, audio, everything’s tied together.”
While Dickerson’s crew works to maximize the in-person experience for fans, Dillard’s Total Production Services, the service that broadcasts a variety of Ole Miss home sporting events, creates high-quality broadcasts for fans watching from home.
“I feel like it (the Ole Miss broadcasts) compares to when I’m watching a professional game,” junior business major Austin Weber said.
Dillard’s company is contracted by the university to produce ESPN broadcasts on television and streaming platforms such as ESPN+ for the Rebels. Each year, Total Production Services broadcasts approximately 120 games across sports including volleyball, soccer, basketball, football, baseball and softball.
Dillard said that his favorite sports to broadcast are baseball and softball because of the pressures and challenges they provide.
“If you think about it, the action is not always where the ball is,” Dillard said in an interview with The Daily Mississippian. “So a fly ball to right field and a runner on third, you have to shoot completely differently than a fly ball to right field and nobody on base. I like the chess match between baseball and softball.”
Like Dickerson, Dillard is the leader of a larger production team. Dillard has spent 37 years in the industry and serves as a mentor for his student workers. His crew is about 80% students — many of whom start working with him as freshmen and continue to do so until graduation, when they often step into big careers.
“We’ve had a lot of success with students going from here to ESPN,” Dillard said. “We have 13 at ESPN in Connecticut and Charlotte right now that are full-time employees.”
His overarching goal is to provide players with the high-quality coverage that they deserve.
“These student-athletes work so hard, and they put so much of their life into this,” Dillard said. “(We aim to) tell some stories about them and humanize them.”
