Davis Hagen is the Sports Director at KUGR Student College Radio, giving him the role of scheduling, managing equipment, budgeting trips and being a mentor to many new students interested in sports broadcasting.
Hagen took the role last spring, taking over for former Sports Director Luke Westfall. When Hagen joined KUGR had a lot of inspiration from a couple of figures at WSU. Emmett Bryz-Gornia, Westfall and Brandon ‘Chappy’ Chapman were the names that helped Hagen get to where he is today.
Chapman was one the professors that have stuck with Hagen throughout his years as a mentor and a friend who is always there for him. The first class Hagen had with Chapman was a play-by-play elective class that gave a lot of inspiration to him in his career. Hagen had also used materials from that class within weekly meetings at KUGR to help inform each young broadcaster.
Hagen has had a shorter college career than most, being a mightily successful student with a 4.0 GPA and being a Gonfalon Bearer at the Murrow College commencement. With his years coming to an end, Hagen has a lot of feelings about it.
“It’s a little bitter-sweet. It went along a lot faster than I thought it would. The three years I’ve spent here have been some of the best times of my life,” he said.
Hagen is leaving KUGR in good hands, with a new Sports Director taking over for him in Smith Slye.
“I’ll be tuning in always, and I know the club is in good hands. If it’s one or three viewers, I will be one of them,” he said.
A lot of those memories are shared with KUGR, and the opportunities they present. Hagen commentated on nearly every team sport the Cougars have, and along with the commentary he traveled for many events as well.
He had gone on seven trips for sports commentating with KUGR. Starting with a trip to Omaha, Nebraska in 2024 for March Madness, all the way to his final trip to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2026 Men’s WCC Tournament.
Each trip has special memories and lessons to learn along the way, but also great food. All of the places he had traveled to, and he gave two answers for what is the best food.
One of which was a trip with Chapman to Cleber, Texas for a road baseball series for the Cougars. They went to a barbecue place which had the best pulled pork Hagen has ever had.
The other answer Hagen gave was a little more odd. In the last trip Hagen had to Las Vegas with partner Josiah Frank, a complimentary media meal was his favorite. That alone doesn’t sound too odd, but the combination of the meal is the interesting toll. Hagen’s second favorite meal in all of his trips to California, Oregon, Nevada, Texas, or Nebraska was mac and cheese with cucumbers and rice.
When asked about the lessons and memories he will always think about with KUGR, Hagen will remember the people.
“I think the biggest thing I will walk away with from my time at KUGR, no matter the score the broadcasters always win. I don’t remember the scores always, but I remember the people I called the games with,” he said. “Whether that’s travelling to Boise and getting a potato and it’s ‘tatertastic’. I think everything that goes into the game is more important than the actual game itself.”
