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SPRINGFIELD — Missouri State Sports Properties, a division of Learfield and partner with Bears Athletics, has finalized its broadcast crew for the upcoming college football season.
Headlining the announcer staff for the Missouri State Radio Network will be The Voice of the Bears, Art Hains, who will be starting his 45th season on Bears football broadcasts. The hall-of-fame announcer will handle play-by-play duties for all five home games this fall and has announced his plans to retire after the Sept. 13, 2025 home football game against his alma mater, SMU, early next season.
Since Sept. 17, 2022, Hains has been battling the effects of West Nile Virus which has caused him paralysis, respiratory challenges and at times long odds for survival. He has defied those odds and many challenges along the way, returning as the pregame and postgame host for the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network in August of 2023 before announcing four home football broadcasts for the Bears last fall in his long-awaited return at MSU.
Corey Riggs, who recently accepted the position of Director of Broadcasting for Missouri State Sports Properties, will handle color analyst duties for home football games this fall as well as the play-by-play assignment for all seven road games. His duties as Director of Broadcasting will also encompass affiliate relations, script writing, sponsor fulfillment, production duties and publicity assignments, in addition to coordinating the weekly radio shows and revival of the Missouri State Athletics podcast in the coming weeks.
“Corey has earned this role,” Hains said of his counterpart. “He started as one of our studio hosts (for the radio network) and stepped in when I became ill in 2022. He is always well prepared and takes time to get to know the players and coaches, which is so valuable to our listeners. I am happy to pass the baton to him.”
Riggs has worked MSU home football TV broadcasts for more than two decades with both announcing and production duties from Plaster Stadium. He also serves as the production anchor for the Missouri State Radio Network.
Former Bears football standouts Sam Block (2007-10) and Clay Harbor (2006-09) will share color analyst duties for the road football games this season. Block earned the Bears Team Award in 2009 as a standout linebacker for coach Terry Allen. Harbor also played for Allen and was a three-time All-American tight end for MSU, which he parlayed into a seven-year career in the NFL.
“Art is a staple in the Springfield community and an invaluable part of the Bears radio team,” said Jesse Kirkpatrick, general manager for Missouri State Sports Properties. “It will be great to surround him with a veteran broadcaster like Corey Riggs and the expertise that Sam and Clay bring to the table as former Bears football players.
“The big moves that lie ahead for Bears football will impact our community, our stakeholders, our fans and our university, and we want everyone to be on board. This is the time to be part of something special.”
For a list of Missouri State Radio Network affiliates and links to live streaming through the Varsity Network App, please visit MissouriStateBears.com.
