From growing up as an African-American in the Civil Rights era in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to his college tenure at Stanford University thereafter, Roy was groomed for his eventual career in journalism.
For three decades, he was based in New York, where he worked for the likes of Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and Men’s Fitness. He’s appeared in, directed and co-produced documentaries on ESPN, including ESPN’s acclaimed 30 For 30 series.
He came up at a time where African-American journalists were few and far between. Roy’s work paved the way for many incredible journalists who would come after his arrival, and he did it at a time where African-American athletes like Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali, Isaiah Thomas, and many others, used their platform to create change in sport.
Roy was there to cover it. He covered Michael Jordan’s 3-Peats and the rise of Tiger Woods in golf. He’s seen a lot, covered a diverse cast of characters in sports and business, and then he ended up in Birmingham, Alabama of all places, in 2014.
I saw a piece he wrote on Ali recently, for the Alabama Media Group (AL.com), which Roy is now working for as a sports columnist. His name seemed familiar. I knew I had seen it before in an ESPN film and sure enough, I looked him up to find out I was on point!
We connected and our conversations were so contagious that I just had to get him on for a TribeCast interview. I’m proud that God connected us and excited to share our talks with you
