AUBURN, Ala. – For ESPN broadcaster Dawn Davenport, Auburn's Gay Street might as well be called Memory Lane.
Each time the former Auburn volleyball student-athlete returns to the Plains, she makes sure to stroll past her former residence.
"The swing that we hung back in college is actually still there," said Davenport, who graduated from Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts in 2002. "Every time I drive in, I purposely drive right down Gay Street first, to relive it. I love this place so much.
"It's a feeling every time I get on campus and I never take it for granted. I love coming back here. Oh my goodness does it change and grow. It gets prettier and prettier if it's even possible."
Davenport passed on several Division I offers to walk on at Auburn, earning a scholarship her sophomore season.Dawn Davenport played for Auburn's volleyball team from 1998-2001
Her path to broadcasting was indirect.
"I think I went through every major that Auburn might have offered," said Davenport, who changed from theater to pre-medicine to education before landing in mass communication. "I started doing Eagle Eye TV and just fell in love with that."
After stints anchoring sports and news at TV stations in Wilmington, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and Nashville, Davenport transitioned to sports talk radio in the Music City. In the fall, she works as a college football sideline reporter and does play-by-play for volleyball, including on the SEC Network.
"I've always been around sports so I love that aspect of it," she said. "But I really love the relationship part of it, the ability to meet so many different people from different backgrounds and hear their stories, and then tell their stories.
"That's my favorite part is to listen to somebody who lets you in on their emotions and passions, and lets you tell about it. I love the competitive nature of the business and of sports in general, but it's the relationships and the people, especially as I get older, I really value more."
While on campus to cover Auburn's A-Day game, Davenport loaded up on outfits for her 10-month-old daughter, Hadley.
"It can be a juggling act at time," said Davenport of balancing motherhood with her career. "I've got to work. I feel like I'm a better mom when I have other things that I need to be good at, too."
With Hadley's grandparents eagerly volunteering as babysitters in nearby Georgia, Dawn Davenport awaits her assignments for the 2021 college football and volleyball seasons, hopeful to return to her beloved alma mater.
"This is the greatest place in the world," she said. "I hope everybody can have a chance to experience it."Dawn Davenport interviews Auburn coach Bryan Harsin on A-Day
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer