A small, informal poll of students who were at Eastern Washington University in the early 1980s reveals this consensus: The young Colin Cowherd was clearly different, and in possession of the stuff to make him a success wherever his life led.

Cowherd looks back now and sees his years at EWU as fundamental to his Hall of Fame broadcasting career, even though he recalled himself as “a handful,” and “young and aggressive and cocky.”

It turns out those are qualities often embraced when a person earns a position behind a microphone.

“When he was at Eastern, he was just a step above other students. He did what he did on the next level,” friend Tim Kelleher said. “When you have that kind of drive and talent, that combination, that’s when you get greatness.”

While Kelleher and others in Cowher

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