By Bill Bender / 2025 FWAA President
Dennis Dodd mastered the art of college football story-telling from the press box. Yet when pressed to talk about those accomplishments, Dodd is quick to point out a dubious record.
"Let's see, I've been locked into three stadiums …"
Dodd announced his retirement after 27 years at CBS Sports on Thursday. Dodd will cover the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament. His last day is April 10. Dodd has covered college football for CBS Sports – formerly CBS SportsLine – since 1998.
"I've been thinking about it for a long time," Dodd said. "Twenty-seven years at one place; I think that's what I'm most proud of. In this profession, that's pretty good. I'll be one month shy of 45 years as a journalist."
Dodd is a press-box fixture among college football writers. He was one of seven writers who covered all 16 BCS championship games. He has covered 25 of the 27 national championship games since 1998. And, yes, Dodd had a story from the 2000 BCS championship game between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Florida State.
"I got locked into Hard Rock Stadium after the (2000) BCS championship game and had to climb a 12-foot fence to get out on my own and was spotted by a cop patrolling the parking lot. I needed him though – because it's so symmetrical there with the parking lot – I couldn't remember where I parked."
Dodd fell asleep at 5 a.m., but he still made the 8 a.m. press conference that morning.
Dodd's attention to detail inside the stadium was first class. He recalled a story at the 2010 BCS championship game – where No. 1 Alabama beat No. 2 Texas 37-21 in a game where Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was injured. Dodd caught Texas coach Mack Brown on the ramp to availability and fired off a question: "Would it have made a difference?"
"He knew what I was talking about and he said, 'It wouldn't have been close,'" Dodd said. ’I used that, and I don't know if he has ever forgiven me.'"
Dodd and Brown remain friends to this day.
Dodd helped bring college football an online presence in the early days of online journalism. He worked for The National and the Kansas City Star before CBS SportsLine, which was part of a far different media landscape. There was a time when Dodd had a hard time getting credentials for major college football games.
"Those first years of CBS SportsLine – which is what it was called back then – SIDs and people didn't know how to deal with the internet," Dodd said. "That's hard to fathom now. Their default would be, 'If I give you one I have to give everybody one.' I just leveraged the fact that people knew me. I had been around a while. That's how I got in."
Dodd is a valued member of the FWAA. He served as FWAA president in 2006 and was given the FWAA Bert McGrane Award in 2022 for his contributions to college football. Dodd has won multiple awards in the FWAA’s annual writing contest.
"It reinforced to me that what we do is a vocation and not a job," Dodd said. "What we do and what journalists do matters. I was President in 2006, so I ran on the stump of more access. I've always advocated for more access. We're losing access every day."
Dodd – a Missouri graduate and avid Blues and Cardinals fan – is looking forward to more travel with his wife Janet. He will still follow college football – just not from the press box.
"I'm going to relax, first of all," Dodd said. "Enjoy the first day and not have to think about everything. To be an observer. Just go to games and not have to worry about being on deadline."