Journalism Career

For parts of four decades Dave Roberts has been a constant in the south-central Missouri sports scene.

A homegrown, award-winning writer with 30 years of experience Roberts is a graduate of Rolla High School and later attended the University of Missouri-Rolla. He began his journalism career in 1978 when, as a high school senior, he began working on the sports desk at the Rolla Daily News. There he was trained by then-Daily News News/Sports Editor Bob Yates, who is currently the Executive Sports Editor/Assistant Managing Editor at the Dallas Morning News.

Roberts was named Daily News Sports Editor in 1980 and – except for a nine-month stint as Recreation Supervisor for the City of Rolla in 1990 – held that position until August of 2003.

During that time Roberts earned numerous awards for his writing, page design and photography. In particular his weekly column, "Sidelines," was honored three times as Missouri’s best sports column by United Press International (1982, 1983, 1985). "Sidelines" also won best-column awards from The Associated Press as well as the Missouri Press Association during the 1990s. In 1995 Roberts was part of the Daily News staff which was honored as American Publishing Company’s regional Newsroom of the Year.

For two years Roberts hosted a weekly television sports talk show for Rolla-based TV7. The 30-minute show aired in 1985-86. In 1988 Roberts was listed in the "Outstanding Young Men of America" publication.

Since 1978 Roberts has worked countless high school, college and professional championship events. He has covered state championship teams and individual state champions from Rolla, St. James, Newburg and other surrounding high schools. He was a voting member of the Missouri Sportswriters/Sportscasters Association for more than 20 years and helped hundreds of area prep athletes earn all-state and all-district honors.

At UMR Roberts covered the Miner MIAA football championship teams of the 1970s and 1980s – including UMR’s perfect 10-0 squad of 1980. He was also on hand to see UMR’s final two MIAA championship men’s basketball teams – in the stands as a teenage fan in 1976 and as a reporter 20 years later.

Roberts has also covered several professional championship events. He covered the St. Louis Cardinals in their World Series seasons of 1982, 1985 and 1987 – winning a national award for his "Sidelines" column for his coverage of Game 7 of the 1982 World Series.

In addition to St. Louis football Cardinal and St. Louis Ram games, Roberts has also covered several St. Louis Blues playoff games and in 1992 worked both the PGA Championship and the Indianapolis 500.

Roberts has interviewed or photographed some of the biggest names in the world of sports, such as Muhammad Ali, Yogi Berra, Brett Hull, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Bob Gibson, Mark McGwire, George Foreman, Marshall Faulk, George Brett, Kurt Warner, Derrick Thomas, Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, and O.J. Simpson.

While participating in athletics Roberts has been a state and national champion.

As a lifetime drug-free powerlifter he has won state and regional championships and has also set state, regional and national records. In 1994 he set a sub-masters state record in the United States Drug-Free Powerlifting Association (now known as U.S. Powerlifting). In 1995 Roberts finished fourth in the 275-pound weight class in the World Drug-Free Powerlifting Federation’s World Bench Press Championships. In both the sub-master and master divisions he has set squat, bench press and deadlift state and national records in the Son-Light Powerlifting Federation.

His personal-best lifts are 600 pounds in the squat, 480 pounds in the bench press and 600 pounds in the deadlift. At age 43 Roberts is still a competitive powerlifter.

Roberts’ youngest daughter, Alicia, is also a champion powerlifter. She has set state and national records in two powerlifting organizations. In 2003 Alicia won the girls’ age 16-18, 120-pound U.S. Powerlifting deadlift national championship.

For 15 years Dave Roberts played and managed in slow-pitch softball. He had a 13-year managing record of 586-276, winning 23 tournaments. His teams won two district championships and placed in the top 10 of state tournaments nine times – the highlight being the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association Missouri Class C State Tournament Championship in 1989. His teams won one or more city league championships 12 times in 13 years.

Dave and his family have long been active in community service in the Rolla area. He served in the role of youth deacon at the Rolla Highway E Church of Christ and has helped direct and organize several youth mission trips and rallies for more than 20 years. He and his wife, Donna, were founding members of Community Christian Church in Rolla and in the past have also been active in Christ Community Church, Ridgeview Christian Church and First Christian Church – all of Rolla. Dave also served on the Board of Directors of the Little Prairie Bible Camp.

Dave and Donna are members of the Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce, the UMR Athletic Booster Club and the Rolla High School Athletic Booster Club. Dave is currently a member of the UMR Athletic Booster Club Board of Directors. Dave has served as a board member of the Rolla Khoury League – which offered baseball and softball to area youths – and was also a past vice-president of the Rolla Men’s Slow-Pitch Softball Association.

He was a former coach in the Rolla Youth Baseball/Softball organization and for seven years served as head coach or assistant coach for Sports Inc. Rolla (S.I.R.) girls’ basketball teams ranging from grades 3-7.

Over the past 10 years he has worked with Rolla Junior High School, Rolla High School and UMR student-athletes in weight-training on a volunteer basis. He also kept the offensive statistics for the Rolla High football team for 2 and a half decades.

Roberts has been the meet director for several powerlifting events held in Rolla, including regional and state meets for the Son-Light Powerlifting Federation as well as Show-Me State Games district competitions.

Dave and Donna Roberts have been married for 25 years. They have two daughters – Ashley, age 22, and Alicia, age 20. 

Ashley completed her bachelors degree in education from Drury University in December 2006, and initially thought she would pursue a graduate degree in education administration or law, but has ultimately decided against the teaching and legal professions. She is now pursuing an advanced degree in speech pathology. She and her husband, Matthew Kreyling, a native of Mexico, Missouri, and an Architectural Engineer; live in St. Louis. Matt enjoys working for Ceco Concrete Construction as a project engineer while he continues school to complete his masters program in construction management. Ashley is attending St. Louis University full-time and working part-time as a nanny. Both she and Matt thrive on "parenting" their three pets: Shitzu Frannie, Boxer Jagger, and Kitty Poppie.

Alicia is married to Jefferson City native Josh Gerrels, a UMR graduate in mechanical engineering and engineering management. Josh is working at Paul Mueller in Springfield, Missouri where he specializes in the design and manufacture of stainless steel processing systems and equipment and stays busy as a member of the Air Force National Guard. Alicia is attending Missouri State where, at this time, she plans to complete her degree in business management. Josh and Alicia "parent" two cats: Alicia's 17-year-old Comet, and (much to Comet's bemusement) their new kitten, George. Before marrying, Alicia worked since she was 16 as a jack-of-all-trades at the family business, The Frame Shop Gallery. While at Rolla High School, Alicia was a member of the National Honor Society, a two-year all-district member of the Rolla High Chamber Choir as well as an all-district and state-qualifying discus thrower for the RHS track team. In 2005, Alicia qualified for the Missouri Class Track and Field State Championships.

In addition to davesports, Dave and Donna Roberts own and operate The Frame Shop Gallery and Home Decor, located at 410 Highway 63 South in Rolla. They can be reached at their place of business at (573) 364-8811.

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