News19 is saddened to let you know that Bob Shields, our longtime sports director who covered high school and college sports across the Midlands for three decades, has passed away.
Shields had been battling cancer for about a year and a half.
A University of South Carolina graduate, Bob joined News19 back in 1981 while he was still in college. Two years later, he was promoted to Sports Director, where he would go on to lead the station’s sports coverage in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.
During his accomplished tenure at WLTX, he covered all types of sports, from little league to the pro ranks.
While covering the Gamecocks, Bob saw and chronicled a lot of history, from the “Black Magic” season of 1984 to the football team’s first bowl victory in the Carquest Bowl in 1995. He was there when legendary coach Lou Holtz joined the school in 1999, and then when another legend, Steve Spurrier, succeeded Holtz in 2004. He traveled to multiple bowl games and to Omaha, Nebraska to cover the baseball team’s trips to the College World Series. When Dawn Staley joined the women’s basketball team, Bob was there providing coverage of the woman who’d go on to lead the school to its first national championship in that sport.
Bob always made sure he had Tigertown covered for Clemson fans too, and cherished covering South Carolina State University, Benedict College, Allen University, Claflin University, Newberry College, and all the other local schools in the Midlands.
But he had a particular fondness for the high school sports, led by his weekly “Friday Night Blitz” football highlight show. He’d often bring in the bands to perform during the broadcast, and enjoyed working with the behind the scenes crew to get the broadcast on the air.
And that passion for young athletes and celebrating their successes led him to create the News19 Player of the Week segment, which continues to this day. It honors outstanding student-athletes who excel not only on the field or court but also in the classroom. Among those receiving the weekly honor include NBA Hall-of-Famer Ray Allen, Olympic gold medalist Courtney Shealy, and WWE star Paul “Big Show” Wight.
Bob loved being with WLTX viewers in the community, and enjoyed his live field reports where he’d get to interview people on the streets, such as when he went to New York City to cover the Gamecocks in the National Invitational Tournament.
And Bob was well-respected by his peers in the industry. He won the South Carolina Broadcasting Association's award for Sportscaster of the Year three consecutive times from 1995-1997. He was also an Emmy winner.
Outside of the industry, Bob was known for his speaking engagements with students and young people, and his insistence that education was the key to success. Bob was an avid supporter of the Walk the Night campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Bob left WLTX in May of 2010 to pursue a career outside the TV news industry. But he still continued to talk sports, however, as part of the morning crew at 107.5 The Game’s radio broadcast.
Ultimately, he became the funeral director at Caughman-Harmon Funeral Home. Bob said in an interview with the Free-Times in 2014 that he found his new profession rewarding and loved being able to help people.
Bob is survived by his wife and the couple’s two children. Funeral arrangements have not yet been finalized. News19 offers our condolences to the Shields’s family, and our appreciation for his amazing work as a mentor and tireless professional as a part of our team.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: From May 2010, take a look at Shields' last broadcast on WLTX:
NEWS19 REMEMBERS: Coworkers reflect on the life and accomplishments of Bob Shields
