Before syracuse.com | The Post-Standard sports reporter Chris Carlson joined our team 12 years ago, he was on the verge of quitting the business to become a history teacher. Fortunately, SU alum and former Post-Standard reporter Pete Thamel recommended Chris for our opening. We're all so glad Chris decided to stick with journalism, as he has become one of our most insightful and decorated members of the sports team. While Chris covers all local sports, he's immersed in Syracuse football right now, so I thought this would be a great time to let readers get to know him better in this month's Journalist Spotlight. Below is a copy of my Q&A with Chris:

Trish: How did you initially get into journalism and when did you know you wanted to do it for a career?

Chris: I grew up reading The Hartford Courant sports section with the newspaper folded over my cereal bowl every morning. The (probably untrue) story in my family is that I taught myself math by looking at baseball box scores.

My guidance counselor and soccer coach in high school went to UConn and knew about the reputation of Syracuse University's Newhouse School. He suggested sports journalism and Syracuse because he knew my interests included reading, writing and sports.

Trish: When did you know you wanted to focus on sports?

Chris: Sports was the passion that got me into journalism. In time I've learned that what I enjoy most is writing about people. Sports is a really rich landscape for that because readers love to know the people under the uniforms that they cheer for.

I've often wondered if I should be writing about something "more important" than sports and syracuse.com has been good enough to let me explore, including letting me try my hand at covering City Hall a few years ago.

I quickly discovered I feel much more confident - and much less anxious -- writing about a subject where I have a lifetime of knowledge built up. The city is also much better off with Jeremy Boyer watching over our government.

Trish: How would you describe your current beat?

Chris: I'm lucky enough to be considered an enterprise reporter. That's a fancy way of saying that my bosses will throw me at the most interesting things happening and the topics we think our readers care about the most at any moment.

In the sports department that's usually Syracuse University, although it doesn't have to be.

There's a ton of interest in the football program and Fran Brown right now. That hasn't always been the case. So, I'm spending more time on football these days.

When basketball season arrives, I'm sure I'll jump in and cover the Kiyan Anthony experience and Adrian Autry's effort to prove he's the right person to lead the program.

Trish: Tell our readers a little bit about your background and how you ended up at The Post-Standard and syracuse.com

Chris: The biggest benefit to going to Syracuse University for journalism are the connections you make. That was true for me.

ESPN reporter Pete Thamel was working for The Post-Standard when I was in school and was always invested in the success of young writers who wrote for The Daily Orange. When syracuse.com was looking to fill some sports positions about 12 years ago the leadership reached out to Pete to see if he had any suggestions. I was working in Norfolk, Virginia, at the time and was fortunate that Pete suggested me.

I think the most interesting part of my path here is that I was six months from quitting the profession and starting on the path to become a history teacher. I'm really fortunate to still be doing what I love.

Trish: What do you like the most about working in sports journalism?

It's never boring and I feel like I'm always learning something. When Syracuse was being investigated by the NCAA, I got to dive in and learn about NCAA rules. As the unfairness of athletes going unpaid by schools started to become more glaring, I had to try to learn about antitrust laws and decipher NCAA legislation. Even when there isn't an obvious subject, there's nothing more interesting than trying to understand people.

Trish: What did you write in the past year or so that you're most proud of and why?

Chris: I was fortunate last year that the leadership at OnTech, a charter school in Syracuse that tends to draw some of the most at-risk children in the city, allowed me to embed with them and follow their boys' basketball team for the season.

It wasn't always a pretty picture, but I hope it provided a clearer idea of what some of our city's kids are fighting against and why it's important we work to improve their chances of success.

I was proud that we were the first to report that Kyle McCord was pursuing the option of playing a fifth year of college football. It was something our readers cared a lot about. It was really important. But it's not something that many of the people involved wanted to discuss.

Similarly, I'm proud of the work I did with Mike Waters that finally shed some light on how much Adam Weitsman paid Syracuse athletes. It answered a question that had been asked repeatedly around here but few wanted to discuss or provide a full picture about.

I think one of the frustrating things about following college sports for fans right now is that roster decisions are being dictated by money (which is fine) but few involved are interested in sharing details about the money involved. It makes it hard to understand why things are really happening.

Trish: Of all the articles you've written in your career, what's your favorite or most memorable?

Chris: The OnTech story will always resonate with me. I grew up in the suburbs in relative comfort. I've tried to educate myself on the struggles that others sometimes face, but it's really hard to understand all of them if we haven't personally lived them. The whole "walk a mile in another person's shoes" is completely true. We may understand parts but we don't understand how pressures and stresses build in themselves.

Trish: What advice would you give young people thinking about going into journalism now?

My favorite thing about journalism is that the best way to learn is by doing it. Every interview is a chance to practice. Every story is a chance to learn something new. So the best way to get better is to get involved with things like internships and school newspapers and learn through experience.

Trish: What's your prediction for this SU football season?

Chris: This isn't going to make folks very happy. I predicted 6-6, and the poor defense in the opener hasn't given me any reason to change my mind.

I don't think that's insulting. There was a time not long ago that we used to wonder if Syracuse could reach .500 and qualify for a bowl game. Now that feels like a reasonable possibility in what should be a down year for the program under Fran Brown.

I do think Syracuse knew how difficult this year's schedule was going to be and decided to take a long-term approach. Brown didn't bring in one-year wonders like Kyle McCord, Fadil Diggs and Jackson Meeks. He focused on players with multiple years of college eligibility.

That doesn't mean the team isn't trying to win this year, but I think they are waiting for the right time to go all-in and this wasn't it.