In January, 2010, Jerry Schemmel was named one of the radio voices of the Colorado Rockies. He will team with Jack Corrigan, starting in the 2010 MLB season, on flagship station 850 KOA and the rest of the Rockies Radio Network. He continues as the radio voice of the Colorado State Rams, a job he began in the fall of 2009.
Schemmel was the radio voice of the Denver Nuggets for 18 years, beginning in 1992. His sportscasting career spans 25 years and includes radio and television play by play of several professional and major college sports. He also spent one year as deputy commissioner and legal counsel for the Continental Basketball Association.
On July 19, 1989, Schemmel boarded United Airlines Flight 232, originating in Denver and bound for Chicago. An in-flight engine explosion crippled the plane and forced it to crash land in Sioux City, Iowa, killing 112 of the 296 onboard.
Schemmel is the author of the book, Chosen To Live. Chosen To Live chronicles the crash of flight 232 and its subsequent effects on his life. The book has been featured in such publications as Reader’s Digest, Hoop Magazine, Sports Spectrum and Guideposts.
Schemmel has been a guest on several national television programs, including “Regis & Kathy Lee,” “48 Hours,” “CBS This Morning,” “Turning Point,” “The Today Show,” “The Hour of Power,” “Good Morning America,” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
During the summers of 2003 and 2004, Schemmel rode a bicycle across the United States as a fundraiser for two Denver area charities. The efforts have raised a total of $250,000.
Schemmel spent one season (2009) as the Head Baseball Coach at Metro State College of Denver, after being a volunteer assistant at the school for two years. He also served as the radio voice of the Billings Mustangs, a minor league affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.
Schemmel earned a law degree in 1985 from Washburn University, after receiving his undergraduate degree from the school in 1982. He also played baseball at Washburn and later was an assistant coach at the school for three years.
Schemmel grew up in Madison, SD and now resides in Littleton, CO with his wife Diane, 16-year-old daughter Maggie and 10 year old son, Ryan.