By John McCann
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sports media and pop culture have evolved and done so at a quick clip over the last 20 years, and the nationally broadcast “BOXTOROW” radio show has kept pace through consistently relevant, diverse content over the course of those two decades.
What started as a show to amplify athletics played at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) turned into an inclusive huddle positioning newsmakers for unique, nuanced sports coverage.
Leading up to the Aug. 20, 2025, “BOXTOROW” anniversary, BOXTOROW: Countdown to 20 will revisit impactful conversations born from interviews by “BOXTOROW” founder and host Donal Ware.
“We simply started out to bring the masses more awareness about HBCU sports,” Ware said. “We are still doing that but now also bringing the masses unknown stories about people and various topics. We do this for all and, in particular, for the culture.”
BOXTOROW: Countdown to 20 will feature Ware providing perspective on his past interviews, and some of the guests from those conversations will join the shows airing on the “BOXTOROW” YouTube channel, SiriusXM and the show’s affiliate radio outlets. The rewind began Aug. 21. In subsequent weeks, the show will be available Mondays and Fridays at 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and 6 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. Affiliate radio stations will carry BOXTOROW: Countdown to 20 programming during the show’s regularly scheduled times on those outlets.
“BOXTOROW” launched Aug. 20, 2005, from a radio station in Baltimore and was carried on radio stations in Birmingham, Alabama; Atlanta; and in North Carolina outlets in Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. The program has grown to air in 12 of the top 50 markets across the country.
From Day 1, “BOXTOROW” has been a talk show covering general sports yet placing emphasis on HBCU sports, shedding light on an undervalued industry which some 20 years later would become more recognized. Ware interviewed many of the HBCU players and coaches applying their skills at the professional level.
“To stand strong through the test of time not only says so much about the quality that Donal Ware has consistently delivered but also makes an indelible statement about the need for this type of content to fill a void and serve such a vibrant audience,” USA Today NFL columnist Jarrett Bell said.
“BOXTOROW” guests have included Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, Simone Biles, Jerry Rice, Snoop Dogg and Michael B. Jordan, to name a few.
Among “BOXTOROW” highlights is a 2015 interview with rapper The D.O.C. shortly after the film “Straight Outta Compton” was released. A 1989 car accident nearly destroyed his vocal cords and nearly ended his career as an artist. When The D.O.C. was on Ware’s show, the rapper for the first time was using his restored voice in a public interview. It prompted national coverage about The D.O.C.’s voice.
During an exclusive August 2022 conversation with former NBA All-Star John Wall, Ware asked about his life over the previous two and a half years. Wall mentioned considering suicide for reasons including the deaths of his mother and grandmother, plus injuries he’d dealt with since 2018. The video gained substantial traction and was picked up by major news outlets including CNN, ESPN, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. It sparked a nationwide conversation about professional athletes and mental health.
Ware engineered reputable and routinely sourced coaches and media polls that help determine the football champion among historically Black colleges and universities.
“BOXTOROW being in a situation to be able to name guys All-Americans, I know how they look forward to being All-Americans — believe me, I do,” said Doug Williams, the former NFL signal caller who was first Black quarterback to play in and win a Super Bowl.
Topics and guests on “BOXTOROW” have spanned all genres — not just sports — to include politics, pop culture, money and business.
