If you have ever attended a Mansfield sporting event, chances are you’ve heard this booming and animated voice. Oh, you know the voice! It’s the voice that belongs to a man who has the God-given talent of not only being able to get a crowd pumped but to keep them entertained as well. And let’s not forget his ability to bring people together through his DJing skills on a wide variety of music that keeps a smile on the faces of the younger generation and allows the older generation to giddily channel their inner youth. So just who is this multi-talented individual you ask? None other than Mansfields very own “Mouth of the South”, Travis Pettus.
Travis’s journey announcing for Mansfield Athletics reluctantly started about five years ago when Travis was approached by Coaches John Mackey and Tim Cothran to fill in to announce a few events. “I was hesitant in the beginning but after getting the hang of it, I really started to enjoy it!” Travis officially became the “Mouth of the South” around 2017 and it’s been an incredible journey ever since. Let’s face it though. There honestly isn’t a better-suited individual for this job! One of the most likable people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting, Travis is the true epitome of what Tiger spirit is.
Travis graduated from Mansfield High School in 2000. It was there that he met the love of his life, Brandi. And it’s pretty evident that God knew what he was doing from day one because the pair only lived two houses apart from each other their entire lives. Almost 21 years later since the duo had their first date on June 24, 1999, Travis and Brandi remain rooted in Mansfield where they now raise their three sons, Ethan, Cameron, and Evan. That’s right! The children of this Mansfield power couple attend the Mansfield School District just like their mom and dad did. And if volunteering for nearly every Mansfield sporting event wasn’t enough, Travis also works at FedEx Freight, does tile work side jobs, and does an awesome “dad job” raising a family of five. But wait, there’s more. If all of that wasn’t enough to keep Travis hoppin’ as it is, let’s not forget to add pastor to his resume as well.
Travis devotes the remainder of his time as senior pastor for Huntington Assembly of God in Huntington, Arkansas. A position he has held since 2015 although he has been a member of the church since ’97/98. “We are a Spirit-filled church that loves powerful, intense, and anointed times of worship. Our desire is to see Gods Kingdom come and Gods will be done in our communities and our people as it is in Heaven. Our goal is to be like Jesus and to apply what He taught and to do what He did.” Travis has also found a way to bring his passion for local youth and his passion for music together by forming The Good Fight.
The Good Fight is not only the name of the youth group at Huntington Assembly but is also the name of the concert venue which is located behind the church. “We have all our youth services in there and it’s pretty much what we call our youth group. Also, it’s gained a lot of attention among Christian bands from all over so we get a lot of those bands wanting to come and play for us!” Beaming with excitement, Travis wishes to invite everyone to come out and enjoy a night of entertainment for the entire family on Thursday, June 25 at 6:30 p.m as Seventh Day Slumber puts on a concert at The Good Fight in Huntington. Masks and social distancing guidelines are encouraged. Seventh Day Slumber at The Good Fight.
Now, one question remains. Apart from work, family, church, and the numerous outdoor hobbies that sit on Travis’s plate, why does he deem it important to find time to volunteer? “To be quite honest, I do get paid for announcing most events, so it’s not completely voluntary, but sometimes there isn’t money in the budget to pay me for certain events but I’ll still announce anyway! The bottom line is that I enjoy announcing the games and events. I love our school and our athletes and I want them to feel honored and recognized for their efforts! I want to do my best at doing a good job so they feel welcomed and appreciated by the staff and the community.”
“I also love interacting with fans just enough to make it fun for them, but not so much that it takes away from the game and the players! I look at this as an opportunity to reach out to people for Christ. I don’t use the platform of announcing to directly share my faith from the mic, but with the responsibility of being an announcer, I sometimes gain the trust and respect of more people throughout the community. The more people in the community who feel comfortable talking to me obviously opens up more doors for me to share my faith with them during those opportunities!”
As the Mansfield Athletic Department grows, Travis makes sure the program’s technology side grows right along with it. The new sound systems, new setups, and new sound effects for games were all the masterful works of Travis. From Little League to Sr High, Travis Pettus has been a key part of the new environment for Mansfield Tiger Athletics. The next time you’re at a Tigers game and you hear a funny one-liner during a timeout or “Touchddooowwwwnnnnn Tigers”, just remember, it’s Mansfield’s very own “Mouth of the South” Travis Pettus in the press box preaching the good word face to face while rocking the mic.
