About

Boom Goes the Dynamite is a popular catchphrase derived from a college sportscast hosted by Brian Collin, a freshman journalism student at Ball State University who made his on-air debut in 2005.

Origin

During his freshman year in 2005, Brian began helping with shooting videos at NewsWatch TV station in Waco, Texas. On March 22nd, he made his broadcast debut a bit earlier than expected, when he was given a chance to fill in for the regular sportscaster who was ill.

But only a few minutes into his segment, Brian began losing track of the script as the lines were rolling faster than his reading pace. One of the more memorable quotes can be heard during his play-by-play commentary of an Indiana Pacers vs. New Jersey Nets game:

"Later he gets the rebound. Passes to the man. He shoots. And boom goes the dynamite."

Spread

In early April 2005, a copy of the news clip entered online circulation via eBaumsworld, presumably uploaded by an employee at NewsWatch TV station. Since then, the phrase "Boom Goes the Dynamite" has been referenced in mainstream media like ESPN Sports Center, Best Week Ever and Family Guy, not to mention Brian's guest appearances on David Letterman and the Early Show. For the complete listing of pop culture / media references, please refer to the Wikipedia entry on "Boom Goes the Dynamite."

Trademark Application

In April 2005, Bonnie Graney, a sportswear merchandise seller from San Diego, CA, filed a trademark application for the phrase "Boom Goes the Dynamite" with intention to print it on t-shirts for sale.

According to Ball State University News, Graney e-mailed Collins in May 2005 to see if he'd be interested in a business partnership for the t-shirt sales, but he never responded to her offer:

In the e-mail, she proposed to pay Collins $1 for every T-shirt sold and $200 for every 1,000 shirts sold. Collins did ask what the proposition was, Bonnie Graney said, but he never responded after she gave him a solid offer.

While the trademark application was abandoned by Graney, she remained in commitment to her plan of donating $1 per shirt to help fund journalism scholarships for Ball State University.

The Reporter

In May 2008, Collins graduated from Ball State University with a degree in telecommunications. According to Business Insider article, Collins briefly worked at a PetSmart store while looking for news-related work, eventually landing a job as a reporter with crime & metro beat at the ABC affiliate KXXV in Waco, Texas.

Sometime in May / June 2009, it was reported that Brian Collins had been let go with a group of other KXXV reporters for budgetary reasons. In early 2010, he made his return to the news industry as a freelance writer for various online news sites, most notably as a contributor for Examiner.com, a hyperlocal news site powered by user contributions.

According to his latest biography page, Brian took a part-time job as a web producer at XXIX in Cincinnati, Ohio circa May 2010, before joining the ABC-affiliate KSAX news team in Alexandria, Minnesota. As of March 2011, Brian Collins continues to work as a local broadcast journalist, with the most recent reportage on the growing trend of synthetic marijuana and Minnesota's regulation of such products.

Notable Examples

Search Interest

External References