ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – ECSUVikings.com is proud to announce the initiation of an Alumni Spotlight that will be focused on Elizabeth City State University alums who have either played for or have been heavily involved in ECSU athletics.
 
For our first alumni spotlight we look west to the state capital in Raleigh to an ECSU alum who is navigating today's sports media landscape and has quickly become one of the major players in sports media in North Carolina. Meet Jonas Pope IV, a 2002 graduate of ECSU, and the prep sports and recruiting reporter for the News and Observer in Raleigh.
 
Pope credits his success to the beginning stages of his career inside of Williams Hall and within the friendly confines of the studios of WRVS 89.9. However, Pope said, if it wasn't for WRVS covering Viking Athletics the way that it did and still does, it's likely that he never would have found his passion for covering sports.
 
"I was broadcasting football live as a freshman and just decided that I would give this a trial run to see if it was interesting to me. As a senior, I had been the Voice of the Vikings all four years and was able to be a part of some great moments for ECSU athletics."
 
When asked about the athletic memory that sticks out, Pope first thought was the 1999 football matchup between Livingstone College and ECSU that took place in Wilmington, N.C. at Legion Stadium. ECSU came into the contest having not won a game and was going up against the defending CIAA champs in Livingtone. "We were able to keep it close, and I can still remember Rayshawn Askew reaching up and beating that Livingstone defender to pull down the touchdown catch to win the game. I remember my call on that catch like it was yesterday."
 
When asked about the impact that ECSU and the athletic department had on his career, Pope said, "Simply put it was four years of on-the-job training. It was more valuable than an internship, and I learned things that I wouldn't have learned anywhere else. It was a great growing experience."
 
After graduating from ECSU, Pope went on to spend a few years outside of the media,  but he then circled back to become a sports reporter and sports editor for the Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald. "All I had for previous work, was my writing with the ECSU newspaper covering athletics. It served as a great part of my portfolio and was the reason why I was hired."
 
Following his seven-year stint in Roanoke Rapids, Pope would continue his career by joining the staff of Tar Heel Illustrated and covered all of the University of North Carolina's athletic programs. He then would take the position with the Durham Herald-Sun covering preps and recruiting as well as serving as the North Carolina Central University beat writer for the paper. After some adjustments within the Herald-Sun, Pope would be elevated to the prep and recruiting beat writer for the News and Observer. As a part of his role, Pope also serves as a "fill-in" beat writer for all ACC sports and has covered Duke University, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University in both football and basketball.
 
"I have been able to cover and see some great things, but I always champion that I have been able to do those things due to my experiences at Elizabeth City State University. I will always be a Viking!"

Pope has also been selected to the 2019 class of the 40 Under 40 at Elizabeth City State University. He will be honored at an awards luncheon on Saturday, April 27^th at the K.E. White Center on ECSU's campus.
 
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