There must be something really comical about playing basketball at UTC. Why do you ask? Because two of the best players to ever wear the Blue and Gold are also two of the best stand-up comedians in the country. Skip Clark who was a stand out point guard for Coach Murray Arnold in the early 1980s is one and Bradley County native Karen Mills who played for Coach Sharon Fanning a few years earlier than that for the Lady Mocs is the other.
Now, these two aren't just run of the mill, tell jokes to your buddies kind of comedians; they make a living being funny.
Skip Clark is currently touring the country and is also hosting shows for fellow comedian and former pro wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Skip, as he was playing in the backcourt for the Mocs, is very good at what he does.
Karen Mills who could be my favorite "Lady Moc" of all time is also a touring comedian and will actually be playing a show at the Comedy Catch here in Chattanooga on December 22nd. The show is ten dollars and will start at 7:30.
Which brings something else to mind.......I would really love to see Skip Clark and Karen Mills on the same stage at the Comedy Catch. I believe we could pack the place with Mocs fans and have a really enjoyable night of laughing until we cry or just pass out. Someone needs to work on that project for a later date.
Laughing has been a big part of Karen Mills life since the day we first met in 1975. She was a point guard on the late Coach Jim Smiddy's team at Bradley Central and helped the Bearettes to a state championship. She would go on to become one of the most decorated players in UTC history and was a two time all-American. Heck, they even had a "Karen Mills Day" in Chattanooga back in the day. Being able to laugh very likely helped Karen through the toughest time of her life when she battled cancer just a few years ago. She battled it and won! She is a cancer survivor and nothing will be able to rattle her ever again.
She has a unique perspective on life now and that's evident in her shows. She doesn't dwell on any negative things......it's all positive, just like she is.So, when she comes to the Comedy Catch on December 22nd, let's pack the place; whether you're a UTC fan, a comedy fan, or just a Karen Mills fan I'm sure you'll have a great time. And while we're enjoying her show, let's all pull for Skip Clark to bring his insane comedy routine to town as well. We all need a good laugh or two!
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer.
His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for 30 years.
He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga Television for more than a quarter-century.
In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, (Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith.) They have five grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, Mattingly, DellaMae, and CoraLee.