Chris Hagstrom

I was born and raised in Buffalo Grove, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). At one point and time, I lived with 4 generations of family members. My parents were divorced. I lived with my mom and her family but was raised primarily by my great-grandmother while my mom worked to provide me with a good life.

Some of my favorite activities growing up involved sports, especially football and hockey. I played three years of junior league football and a couple of months for my high school until an Achilles injury sidelined me permanently. That's when I started getting involved with sports broadcasting.

I came to SIU in the fall of 2003 and got involved quickly with the campus radio station WIDB-Carbondale. After becoming sports director, I was offered a job working for the large commercial radio station in the area and assisting in the Saluki Broadcasts. While at SIU I also got involved with the campus news program, River Region Evening Edition, winning the Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome award for Newscast of the Year in 2007.

That same year I took an internship with the Southern Illinois Miners in their inaugural season. Immediately following the first season, I was hired full time as the Director of Production. In 2009, I was promoted to Director of Entertainment and Promotions.

In 2010, I was hired by the Department of Athletics at Southern Illinois University to develop and run their new Video Services department. During my time with the Salukis, I also taught a class dedicated to sports video production.
In my spare time I ran a pro wrestling promotion for 3 years, worked as the on-field host for the Miners, and enjoy playing board games with friends.