Carrington Harrison

Host of “The Drive”

610 Sports Radio in Kansas City

The time to learn what you love and like to do is in college. At least, that’s how Carrington Harrison looks at it. And his time at Missouri Southern State University was some of the best of his life.

The current host of “The Drive” on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City looks fondly back at his time with MSSU – both on the experiences and memories he made with friends, and on the education he received. Like many other alums, Harrison points to his education as a foundation that continues to serve him well today as host of one of the nation’s biggest morning shows.

“My start with 610 came from interning with them for two years in both my junior and senior years of college,” he recalls. “And while I was in college I recorded a podcast that the program director of 610 Sports heard, and he liked it so much that he offered me a job once I finished school. I have always been really interested in sports and I have always enjoyed talking about it amongst my friends and sharing my thoughts and opinions. So it felt like a natural fit for me. A lot of different shows and hosts inspired me as a kid growing up in a small town, and I always grew up with an affinity for the profession.”

It was that small town comfort that first attracted Harrison to Joplin, Mo., and MSSU. Class size was a big deciding factor for him, he said, as he felt it would help him take full advantage of his college education.

“I liked the community feel for the school if you lived on campus,” he said. “It was a good place for me. I remember every day around 3 p.m., ‘Halo 3’ was being played in Blaine Hall and we would open the doors so we could talk to each other and play through the school network. It was some fun times. And one night I remember we had a big snowball fight in the area between Blaine Hall and the cafeteria. People were using trays from the cafeteria as shields and it turned into a big boys-vs-girls matchup, which then turned into everyone for themselves. I always say the beauty of college is that all your friends are right there and so much can happen in those years before we all grow up and get real-life responsibilities.”

Harrison also points to the hands-on opportunities he was afforded while at Southern. He said his time in the Communication Department gave him the chance to explore all facets of the industry – from television and newspaper, to radio and even public relations.

“It’s the bridge to adulthood, in my opinion,” he said. “You learn how to budget for the first time and you have personal accountability. For a lot of us, it’s your first time being on your own and you have to find your own way and place in life. Joplin and Missouri Southern was a great place to do that.”