Even before the University of South Carolina offered a sports media major, Chuck Denton was building a range of skills that would lead to a more than 24-year career with CBS Sports.
The 1991 USC graduate grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a love of late-night Phillies radio broadcasts and a father who owned a small radio station to spark his interest in communications. He began working at Charlotte CBS affiliate WBTV as a junior in high school.
“I always looked for challenges to try to better myself,” Denton says.
He entered USC in 1987 as a broadcast major. At the then-College of Journalism and Mass Communications, Denton learned to report, shoot and edit stories using VHS tape. He credits professors Kent Sidel and Ronald Farrar with pushing students to find distinctive story angles and take creative risks.
USC did not offer a sports media major during Denton’s time on campus, but he sees the current program as a practical entry point for students wanting to work in the sports industry.
“I think it's a huge major and it's a huge opportunity for people,” Denton says. “That's very exciting that they're doing that, and I love seeing people that want to pursue that.”
His education extended well beyond the classroom. Denton worked as a photography editor at WIS and maintained his internship at WBTV. Between his junior and senior years, he earned an internship working with Dan Rather at CBS Evening News in New York.
“What I learned at USC helped me in the real world, and what I learned in the real world helped me consequentially in my classes,” Denton says.
Denton returned to WBTV after graduation and spent eight more years developing his skills. When his family moved to Arizona, he took a detour into real estate.
His first CBS Sports opportunity came at a Thanksgiving football game in Dallas in 2001. More assignments followed as he traveled with different crews nationwide. CBS Sports TV Director Mark Grant was often on those crews. When Grant had a chance to build a more permanent team in 2010, he knew he wanted Denton as a camera operator.
“When he's on the show, he makes everybody around work hard just like he does,” Grant says. “All you have to do is watch Chuck work, and then you're like, ‘Oh my god, look how hard he's working. I better work hard like that as well.’ And so, he brings out the best in people.”
Grant values the presence Denton brings to the team and their personal relationship. He recalls Denton’s impact during the 2023 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
“He had confidence in me; it just made me feel like, ‘You know what, I got this,’” Grant says. “That made me really ... feel a whole lot better about going into my first national championship game.”
Denton’s assignments now move with the sports calendar: college football, NFL playoffs and Super Bowls, college basketball’s Final Four, the Masters and summer golf coverage. His first Super Bowl, the 2013 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, immediately tested his adaptability when a stadium blackout halted play for 34 minutes.
For students hoping to follow a similar path, Denton advises pursuing technical skills, internships and diverse experiences.
“Do the extra things,” Denton says. “Check a camera out over a weekend and go shoot something and then try to edit it together. … Go beyond, you know, what you want to do, but more importantly, always be willing to listen to an opportunity.”
Now students can pursue the sports media major to start working toward careers similar to Denton’s.
“I love the university, and I'm grateful to the university,” Denton says. “South Carolina was a great experience, and I can't talk enough about how proud I am to be a Gamecock alum.”