Mike Breckenridge

By Mike Plant

When he first arrived at the radio station on Hillcrest Dr. in Wooster in 1989, fresh out of broadcasting school, Mike Breckenridge thought he was taking just the first step on his career path.

Instead, he found a home.

Breckenridge joined the staff at WQKT/WKVX radio, which carried both local and professional sports on the air beginning back in 1947. Already there were Ken Nemeth and Roy Bates, both members of the Wayne County Sports Hall of Fame, who along with longtime announcers Galen Swartzentruber, Jon Myers and Dan Earich took the rookie broadcaster from North Canton under their wing.

“WQKT was my first radio job out of school,” Breckenridge recalled. “I figured ‘Ok, I’ll learn a few things and move on.’ Never in my wildest dreams did I think it was a career spot for me.”

Always a big sports enthusiast growing up in North Canton, broadcasting — specifically in athletics — was a natural fit.

“I loved playing sports growing up, and I loved sitting around talking sports with family and friends,” Breckenridge said. “When I first thought about broadcasting, I realized, go watch games and talk about what you see, yeah, that sounds good.”

One of Breckenridge’s close friends, as well as his longtime colleague, was the late Swartzentruber, whom he considers a mentor. Along with Myers, Earich and others, the Wooster radio staff was as strong through the 1990s as the lineup of the Cleveland Indians — a team the station began covering in 1947.

“I was so fortunate to join three guys like Galen, Dan and Jon as broadcasters right out of the gate — three guys that would become my mentors, colleagues and friends. It was probably the luckiest break of my career,” Breckenridge said.

Breckenridge took that break and has since ascended to become one of the top play-by-play broadcasters in the state. During that time, he has been on the air for some 2,500 games, including over 300 state championship games since WQKT started covering state tournaments in football and basketball in the 1990s. He’s been on the mic for area state titles in football, basketball, baseball and softball.

In addition to his play-by-play duties, Breckenridge has also served in various management positions at the radio station. He previously served on the boards of both the Wayne County Sports Hall of Fame and the Roy S. Bates Foundation. He is currently the sports director at WQKT 104.5FM and is also a member of the OHSAA Media Advisory Committee, a position he has held since 2002.

The 2009-10 winner of the OHSAA Media Service Award for the Northeast District, Breckenridge, with College of Wooster coach Doug Cline, co-founded the Steve Smith Holiday Hoops Classic, held at the college from 2004-2021 before moving to Orrville in 2022.

Breckenridge lives in Wooster with his wife, Laurel, and their dog Archie. Long before he broadcast a state championship game, he played in one — he’s a graduate of Hoover High School and was a member of the Vikings’ state runner-up team in 1984 as well as a letterman in baseball.