JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After 37 years as sports director/managing editor at WJXT, Sam Kouvaris and the station's vice president and general manager, Bob Ellis, announced Wednesday that Kouvaris will be leaving the station.
“After discussions with the station, we decided together the time was right to look at new opportunities. I’m looking forward to that,” Kouvaris said. “Channel 4 has had a tremendous positive impact on the community in the nearly four decades I’ve been there and I’m proud and grateful to have been a part of it.”
“When you’ve worked together as long as Sam and WJXT have, there’s a mutual respect allowing both parties to have an equal voice in decisions like this one. We worked closely with Sam and we both came to the conclusion the time was right," Ellis said. "He’s the most talented sportscaster in town and his unique analysis on local sports is unmatched."
Sam is the longest tenured sports reporter in Jacksonville television history and will continue his reporting career in town on his website, Samsportsline.com.
“I’ve built some lifelong relationships there and I’m sure they will continue," Kouvaris said.
Sam is an Emmy Award winner and has won the Associated Press Broadcast Award, as well as other honors, including Sportscaster of the Year by numerous organizations. He serves on the board of directors for numerous charities in North Florida.
On Monday, Sam hosted his 17th year hosted the Sam Kouvaris Dreams Come True Golf Tournament, helping raise over $1.75 million. All of Sam’s charity work in town will continue.
“Just as Deborah Gianoulis and George Winterling have remained a part of our family since retiring, Sam will always be a part of Channel 4,” Ellis said. "We look forward to supporting his charity work and welcoming him back to the station in the future."
"Sam goes down in WJXT history as the reporter who worked his sources and got the scoop at a suburban Chicago hotel that Paul Tagliabue was about to tell the world that Jacksonville was being awarded the NFL’s 30th franchise," said WJXT anchor Tom Wills, who’s worked alongside Kouvaris for his entire career in Jacksonville. “He broke the news minutes before the announcement."
In addition to anchoring sports on WJXT on a nightly basis and writing for news4jax.com, Sam has served as the play-by-play voice for the Jacksonville Jaguars' pre-season games and the Jacksonville Tea Men of the NASL.
Sam is the Jacksonville representative for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, serving each year as one of the selectors asked yearly to vote on candidates eligible for the Hall of Fame. Sam is a designated voter for the Heisman Trophy and the College Football Hall of Fame. He will continue in those positions.
A native of Baltimore and a graduate of the University of Maryland, Sam began his broadcasting career in Charleston, South Carolina, as the sports director at the ABC affiliate, WCBD. His next job was at WJXT, where he spent the next 37 years.
Sam hosted a weekly review of the Jaguars game, "The End Zone," on Monday nights during the football season, as well as WJXT’s signature sports events such as the Gate River Run and The Players Championship coverage.
Sam's play-by-play experience stretches from football to polo, and he has called events for CBS, NBC, ABC and ESPN. A three-sport varsity athlete in high school, Sam participated in football and baseball in college and on the semi-professional level.
“Sam is a sports reporter whose knowledge of other subjects goes well beyond sports. Just his love of flying alone made him an invaluable resource for our coverage of any aviation story,” Wills said.
A FAA-certified pilot, Sam calls his experience flying Navy tactical aircraft one of the highlights of his career. After a promotional flight with the Blue Angels, he completed six weeks of training from the U.S. Navy at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Cecil Field and was qualified to fly in the FA-18. He has done stories with several squadrons in the Atlantic Fleet and has three carrier landings and launches.
Travelling, biking, music and drama are among his interests. Sam plays several musical instruments, including the trumpet and guitar, and has appeared as the lead vocalist for numerous big bands in North Florida. Sam lives in the Mandarin area of Jacksonville with his wife. Together, they have three children and four grandchildren.