BOXTOROW to celebrate 20 years with event in Raleigh

BOXTOROW, the national entity, very closely associated with HBCU sports, will celebrate 20 years with a birthday bash event on Wednesday, August 20 in Raleigh, NC at North Hills Main District from 5-8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. As part of the festivities, BOXTOROW will air a live radio show (5-6p), followed by presentations from dignitaries and guests and live performances from the Shaw University Platinum Sound Marching Band (6-7p), and an aftershow meet and greet with a live DJ and music (7-8p).

For close to 20 years BOXTOROW has carved out its niche in the rapidly growing sports media industry as well as the pop culture world, via its national radio show of the same name which airs on radio stations across the country, radio stations overseas, and on Satellite Radio on SiriusXM.

"We are so excited and proud of the growth and the accomplishments that have happened over these 20 years," says Donal Ware, founder of BOXTOROW and host of the radio show. "BOXTOROW is more than a radio show. We started out simply wanting to bring more awareness about HBCU sports to the masses. We are still doing that and have also implemented some ideas along the way that are now part of the HBCU sports fabric. Our guests over the years have been a big part of BOXTOROW. They have allowed us to tell their stories to the masses as well."

BOXTOROW the radio show began airing on August 20, 2005 from a radio station in Baltimore, also airing that same day and subsequent weeks in Raleigh, Atlanta, Greensboro, NC, Winston-Salem, NC, and Birmingham, AL. Over the years, the program has grown and now airs in 12 of the top 50 markets across the country including Washington, Puerto Rico, Tampa, Portland, Pittsburgh, Austin, Raleigh, Nashville, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Greensboro, and New Orleans. BOXTOROW has also aired in other top 50 markets including New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Charlotte, Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City. Additionally, BOXTOROW airs overseas in The Bahamas and British Virgin Islands.

From day one, BOXTOROW's sports talk radio show talked general sports and also placed an emphasis on HBCU sports, shedding light on an undervalued industry which almost 20 years later has become more recognized. Coaches, student-athletes, administrators, and former student-athletes now playing on the professional level have been guests on the program. Over time, guests have also included those from the professional sports world, as well as entertainers, musicians, and even politicians.

A sampling of the guests on the program over the years have included Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, Simone Biles, Jerry Rice, Snoop Dogg, Michael B. Jordan, Kevin Hart, and more.

Three of the highlights of BOXTOROW's time on the air include a 2015 interview with rapper D.O.C. shortly after the film Straight Outta Compton was released. A 1989 car accident nearly destroyed his vocal cords and all but ended his career as an artist. During the conversation, he talked to Ware for the first time publicly using his "regular voice," opposed to a raspy, scratchy voice caused by the accident. This interview prompted a national story about D.O.C.'s voice and the interview went viral.

In August 2022 during an exclusive video conversation with former NBA All-Star John Wall, Ware asked Wall about his life over the last two and a half years. Wall mentioned that he had thought about committing suicide for a myriad of reasons which included the passing of his mother, grandmother, and injuries that he had been dealing with since 2018. The video went viral, was picked up by every major network news outlet including CNN, ESPN, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and aired on SportsCenter and First Take, and sparked a nationwide conversation about professional athletes and mental health.

BOXTOROW also received and graciously accepted an unsolicited invite to the White House in 2024 to be part of the celebration of the Texas Rangers World Series championship of 2023.

Topics and guests on BOXTOROW have spanned all genres - not just sports - to include politics, pop culture, money, and business. In the sports world, guests have appeared from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NWSL, professional boxing, and from NASCAR. Most of the top NASCAR drivers from the last five to seven years have been guests.

Events covered or broadcast from by BOXTOROW over the years include Super Bowls, NBA All-Star Weekends, NBA Finals, NHL All-Star Games, MLB All-Star Games, US Open, and Daytona 500.

Other entities associated with BOXTOROW include the national show Radio BOSS, HBCU All-America teams (football and basketball), and The HBCU Coaches and Media Polls which help to determine the HBCU national champion in football.

What they're saying:

• "Congratulations to BOXTOROW and Donal on 20 years. His persistence and passion won me over, and he did a terrific interview with Michael Strahan." — Jill Fritzo, entertainment publicist

• "BOXTOROW being in a situation to be able to name guys All-Americans, I know how they look forward to being All-Americans — believe me, I do, and we've had some. Congratulations to BOXTOROW for continuing to support our HBCUs." — Doug Williams, former NFL quarterback, first Black quarterback to play in and win a Super Bowl

• "Donal is an authority on HBCU athletics, sure. But the breadth of his sports knowledge makes him different. The guy's got range, and the way he talks about sports makes his show relevant even for viewers who aren't traditional sports fans." — Bonitta Best, The Triangle Tribune managing editor

• "For the past two decades, BOXTOROW has provided outstanding coverage of an array of sports and shared in-depth interviews with high-profile sports personalities, all while shining a spotlight on HBCU student-athletes, coaches and administrators. As a proud HBCU alumnus and former athletics administrator, I recognize the valuable national media exposure BOXTOROW has dedicated to HBCUs. Congratulations to Donal Ware for 20 years of respected service and professionalism with BOXTOROW." — Kyle Serba, Duke Athletics executive director of communications

• "It's been awesome to witness the evolution of BOXTOROW over so many years. I remember when the show was launched like it was yesterday and am proud to have contributed along the way. To stand strong through the test of time not only says so much about the quality that Donal Ware has consistently delivered but also makes an indelible statement about the need for this type of content to fill a void and serve such a vibrant audience. And even better, this important show still has strong legs for future growth." — Jarrett Bell, USA Today NFL columnist; Pro Football Hall of Fame voter

• "For more than two decades, BOXTOROW has kept a nation of sports and entertainment fans entertained, engaged and enlightened with the very best and brightest newsmakers in our community. And in many ways, we know the best is yet to come to keep us connected over the next 20 years." — Mike Wallace, Grind City Media (Memphis Grizzlies) senior editor