Bangor, Maine, a town where crisp autumn air echoes a small, tight-knit community, where Friday night football was the pinnacle of attention. Expectations were measured with an eager sophomore quarterback standing patiently on the sidelines awaiting his moment. Josh Keefe, a student attending John Bapst Memorial High School, watched the Crusaders struggle repeatedly, wondering if he’d ever get his chance.
When the opportunity came late in a blowout game, Keefe’s hopes soared after all, earning his spot as the starting quarterback. What followed was not the luck or fate he’d imagined. Instead, it was a brutal reality check that left him 0-23 as a starter and later self-claiming the title of “the worst high school quarterback ever.”
A decade later, Keefe broke his silence and reflected on his high school football career in an article for Slate titled “I Was the Worst High School Quarterback Ever.” In the piece, Keefe reflects on his time as a quarterback, sharing self-deprecating quotes like, “I wanted to be good, and yet, I was honestly, genuinely, mortifyingly bad,” and “I am the Cal Ripken Jr. of losing quarterbacks.” The article dives into the life lessons Keefe learned throughout his journey, highlighting conversations with coaches and players and ultimately embracing the value of all the losses he endured.
When asked about what motivated him to express his share of failure, even when there were glimpses of success, Josh Keefe stated, “I think those moments of success were, sort of enough to keep, maybe, me trying. You know, ultimately, it was a failure, like you can’t look back on that time, and most of them outside of a handful weren’t even close.”
He realized this piece would ultimately be his ticket into journalism. Keefe first attended Skidmore College, where he graduated with a degree in English in 2007.
After college, Keefe held various jobs, from writing résumés to working in a sandwich shop, before fully committing to journalism, ultimately before enrolling at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York in his late 30s.
Keefe went on to write for The Tennessean, where he earned three prestigious awards for Best News Reporting, Investigative Reporting and Public Service.
He also contributed to Slate and his hometown paper, The Bangor Daily News. Keefe’s work also appeared in The New York Times, Longform.org and Newsweek/IBT, where he was a staff reporter. In 2017, he won an award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing award for his coverage of tax reform.
Keith credited his journey through sports and spoke on how sports can give a life lesson of growth, stating,
“I was kind of interested in that idea of, like, you know, it doesn’t necessarily have to end in, a trophy, or, you know, getting the big, sort of cinematic ending. There’s value in sports for people who try something, even if they fail.”
Keefe emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity in offering advice to aspiring college journalists. He offered young journalists the opportunity to focus on producing a few high-quality pieces that showcase their best work rather than churning out numerous average ones. According to Keefe, editors and employers are more interested in seeing polished, standout articles that demonstrate a writer’s skill and potential. He also stresses the value of taking the time to craft exceptional work.
“One thing I did during that period was move around a lot. I think just because I kind of have all this experience, all this weird stuff, that kind of makes me more rounded in terms of how I view the world, which I think is helpful in journalism because it’s hard to describe the world if you’ve only really seen a little tiny piece of it,” Keefe said.
For some, the shift to journalism emerges as a natural progression after struggling to identify a clear career path. This is especially true at UNLV, where many students discover their passion for storytelling through personal experiences.
Wyatt Touchet, a junior at UNLV, spoke on his early experiences at UNLV and how he started his journalism career.
“It just dawned on me one day, watching TV, that I saw it on the TV, they were talking about sports. It hit me like, man, that’s what I want to do. Why not go to school close to home? It’s a lot cheaper, a lot more affordable and it’s going to just allow me to really thrive.”
Touchet started his career with an opportunity from the Las Vegas Raiders before his first semester at UNLV. What followed was Touchet consistently working his way up the depth chart and eventually winning an Emmy as a producer. The journey wasn’t always smooth sailing as Touchet faced external pressure, sometimes self-doubt creeping into his mind.
“The difficult part was constantly checking myself every time I’m doing something, and I’m a perfectionist too. I’m telling myself, ‘Okay, is this gonna be something that you know is good, and is this good to my standards?’ I’m always in control of it. I don’t think anything that’s worthwhile or that’s difficult is gonna be smooth sailing because if it were easy, everybody would do it.”
In offering advice for young prospering UNLV journalism students. Touchet emphasized journalists should prioritize enjoying the journey and staying present in the moment. Noting it’s important to maintain integrity and work seriously toward career goals, getting too caught up in reputation or ego can lead to losing sight of personal growth and the small, meaningful moments.
“It’s the little things in life that really matter because if you get so caught up in the destination rather than the journey. Life will pass you by, and you’ll be looking back, ‘Oh, I wish this or what it could have [been],’ and you can’t live like [that]. You got to be present in the moment,” said Touchet
Early hardships in life often serve as a foundation for future success. For students at UNLV’s Hank Greenspun School of Journalism, the challenges faced during the early academic years can lead to resilience, perseverance, and unique opportunities for a career in journalism. Greenspun provides tools to transform those early struggles into strengths, ultimately leading to a pathway to success. Students continue to write their narratives, ultimately paving the way for a fulfilling career in journalism, where Rebels make it happen.
