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Jerry Punch, M.D. '79 had two childhood dreams—to become a doctor and to be in sports. He fulfilled both and, for a while at least, tried to make them compatible. "I always wanted to be a doctor, but I also wanted to be involved with sports," he said.
After completing training in family and emergency medicine, he practiced in Florida for 10 years. During that time, he had an opportunity to try his hand at sports broadcasting. So, during the week he lived the high-pressure life of an emergency room doctor, while on the weekends he traveled the country as a color commentator for professional sporting events, like NASCAR and Division I college football.
For now Punch has opted for sports, working for both ESPN and ABC-TV. He is the host for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on ESPN and every week finds him at a new location for ABC Sports' featured college game.
It is likely that his experience with the intense and often dramatic events of the emergency room proved good training for Punch's ability to think on his feet before a live TV camera.
Will he ever return to medicine? Punch is keeping his options open, maintaining his medical licenses in both North Carolina and Florida. "I don't think I've left medicine for good," he said. |