Tarmac Online

By: Blake Lou Weaver’27

Alex Rodriguez, Ernie Johnson, Mike Tirico, and Greg Olsen. These are just a few of the names who received an award at the 2026 Sports Emmys hosted in New York City on Tuesday, May 26, at Lincoln Center. Among them was Thomas Gamba ’26, who received the Jim McKay Memorial Scholarship, a prestigious honor awarded to a student pursuing a career in Sports Broadcasting. This award not only highlights Thomas’s talent, but also his unwavering dedication to his craft.

For as long as he can remember, Thomas had always dreamed about working in sports. He grew up watching the Knicks and Yankees, memorizing statistics and diving deep into the key storylines. When Thomas came to Chaminade, this love and curiosity were allowed to prosper. His freshman year, one of his senior leaders was John Boccio ’23, the founder of the sports media program at Chaminade. “John told me I should consider joining the group. I gave it a chance, and I have never looked back since,” Thomas recounted.

“Thomas started as a PA announcer for basketball games because he was really good at bringing excitement, but he wasn’t super naturally talented right away,” said Mr. Michael McCarthy, assistant moderator of the Sports Broadcasting Club. While he may not have had the most talent initially, Thomas was extremely dedicated to getting better, working as hard as he could to grow in his craft. Through this hard work, Thomas has compiled a resume that “could rival some of the best college – and even professional – broadcasters,” according to Mr. McCarthy.

In addition to being the voice of the Flyers for hundreds of basketball, lacrosse, football, and volleyball games, Thomas has shone at some of the highest levels in the sports media industry. In the summer of 2024, Thomas was selected to be a broadcaster for ESPN2’s “KidCast,” calling the game between the Yankees and the Detroit Tigers as they played in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He was selected through a competition among seven other finalists in the Bruce Beck Sports Broadcasting Camp. Additionally, Thomas also became the co-host of the NHL Hockeyverse, an animated show designed to promote hockey to a younger audience. Thomas was chosen for this role alongside his classmate and broadcaster, Michael Saville. This role allowed both Thomas and Michael to showcase their talent and dedication on a national stage.

“Everything he has achieved, he has worked six times as hard as he had to in order to achieve it. He has sacrificed a lot of ‘normal high school experiences’ in order to work on this craft, and pursue this career,” said Mr. McCarthy. “He deserves everything he has received, and more.”

In addition to his impressive resume as a broadcaster, Thomas has been instrumental in developing the sports media program at Chaminade. “The program started his freshman year, and his success has had one of the largest impacts on this program,” states McCarthy. His success has not only increased the prestige of the program, but through his dedication and commitment, he has set an example for younger members to follow. “He deserves a lot of credit for helping the freshman and sophomores in the program. There are kids who are going to go to school to study this, and pursue careers in sports media, because of Thomas. Short of getting paid, he was like a fourth moderator.”
It was this same dedication that earned Thomas the Jim McKay Scholarship this year. Mr. Patrick Reichart ’01, another moderator of the Sports Broadcasting Club, reflected on Thomas’s honors, stating, “Thomas deserves all of the honors he has received and more. His hard work, leadership, and talent have been clear to us at Chaminade for the last four years, and so it is wonderful to see Thomas recognized at both the state and national levels as he approaches graduation this spring.”

The Jim McKay Memorial Scholarship is awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), the same group that runs the Emmys. When Danielle Mannion, the Co-Chair of NATAS, told Thomas that he was this year’s recipient of the scholarship, Thomas said the feeling was “surreal.” The voice of 12 Olympic Games and the only broadcaster to ever win Emmy Awards for both sports and news broadcasting, Jim McKay is considered a legend in the world of sports media. “To have my name associated with his is an incredible honor,” Thomas shared. “When I started broadcasting in my freshman year, I could have never imagined that I would be given an amazing award like this.”

The scholarship includes ten thousand dollars, helping Thomas pursue his broadcasting goals in college, and is funded by ABC, ESPN, CBS, FOX, HBO, and NBC. Reflecting further on receiving this award, Thomas shared, “It is an unreal feeling. I have put in so much hard work in hopes of improving my craft over the last four years, and it feels great to have people recognize my efforts through this selection. I am so thankful for all of the supporters around me. I definitely wouldn’t be the recipient of this award without the help I have been gifted with from others.”

Among some of the people Thomas thanked were all of the moderators of the Sports Broadcasting Club: Mr. Reichart ’01, Mr. Michael McCarthy, and Ms. Hafner. He also thanked Mr. Daniel Feeney, Chaminade’s head basketball coach and assistant athletic director; John Boccio, his former senior leader who encouraged him to join the Sports Broadcasting Club at Chaminade; as well as Mr. Joseph Wasserman and Mr. Paul Meyfohrt. He also expressed his gratitude to many notable sports journalists who helped him throughout his development, including Bruce Beck, Mike Vaccaro ’89, Emmanuel Berbari, and Jim Jackson. Additionally, he thanked the crews he has worked with at ESPN and the NHL, saying, “I can’t thank all of those people enough for the tips they provided me during our work.”

“Most importantly, I would like to thank my family. My mom, Allison, and my brother, Christian, have been by my side ever since my father passed away almost six years ago. Additionally, my grandmother, Rita, my grandfather, Tom, and my uncle, Damien, have all shown me so much love that has gotten me through some tough times.” Thomas acknowledged, “I am so thankful for all of the contributions that my family has made to my life. Just like all my other mentors, I wouldn’t be here without my family.”

Thomas will attend Syracuse University next fall, the number one school in the world for Sports Journalism. “Thomas going to Syracuse for Sports Journalism is the same as the best lacrosse player going to Duke to play lacrosse there. It’s incredible, and should be celebrated the same way,” stated Mr. McCarthy.
On Tuesday evening, as Thomas received his honor in front of the star-studded crowd at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City, he expressed what drives his constant dedication and commitment to his craft. “I’ve always been a huge sports fan, and by watching sports, I saw some of my idols…just magnify a moment with their call. When I had the opportunity to do that, in high school, I just loved it so much. And more than that, you feel like you’re making an impact to the fans. So if I can make an impact to people, and love what I do, there’s nothing better than that.”

Photos courtesy of 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards