As one of the go-to quote sources in the Missouri football locker room as a player, Vic Faust quickly learned the ways of the media that covered the team.

He eventually went from being interviewed to holding a microphone himself. It was a natural progression.

"Once I started doing it, I loved it and knew it was what I wanted to do," said Faust, a popular television sports and news anchor for the past seven years at WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit.

After obtaining his bachelor's degree, Faust attended graduate school to work on his master's in journalism.

On Saturday mornings during his senior year, Faust got his start in the radio business by driving to Mexico, Mo., to do a sports talk show.

He also worked for two years as a color analyst on the Missouri Tigers football network alongside play-by-play man Mike Kelly and partners Chris Gervino and John Kadlec.

Faust also enjoyed his work on a Sunday evening television show at KMIZ, the ABC affiliate in Columbia, Mo., called "Both Sides of the Ball."

Faust would do feature stories on Missouri players or the team, many off the beaten path and some featuring his insider knowledge of the sport.

Once he got into television, Faust worked at stations in St. Joseph, Mo., and Tulsa, Okla. He also did work for KFNS Fans 590, an all-sports radio network in St. Louis.

"We're going all the way back to 1996 and 1997 days, but I never forgot the opportunity to work with so many people that helped me," Faust said.

Faust was hired as a sportscaster in Detroit in August 2004. During his sports days, he covered a Super Bowl and the Major League All-Star game in Detroit, along with all of the city's professional teams.

One of Faust's favorite assignments was covering the Tigers in the 2006 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Coming back to St. Louis and watching them win was one of the highlights of my sports career," Faust said.

Former Althoff teammate Keith Padgett was at Busch Stadium for one of the games.

"As we're walking up the stairs I hear somebody screaming at me and I had no idea who it was," Padgett said. "Vic was doing a live read on television and he'd seen me. He finishes his deal and as soon as he gets done he got right back to me and we started talking."

Padgett also recalled the time when he was listening to Faust on a postgame radio show following a controversial Nebraska victory over Missouri.

"I'm listening to the postgame show and I hear this Nebraska guy call in all upset about something they had said," Padgett said. "Vic said 'Good, don't come back, we don't want any Nebraska fans around here anyway.' He was always so intense as a player, too."

Faust also listed a rare one-one-one interview with legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus and a chance to play golf with former Lions star running back Barry Sanders among his highlights over the years.

"I was happy in sports, but an opportunity came open and they needed a male news anchor," Faust said of the decision to switch to news. "I loved sports, but I also saw an opportunity to progress in my broadcasting career. I prayed about it and I knew that I could do it.

"It's been a challenge, but I've never been happier with my job than I am now."

Faust's co-anchor on his morning and noon newscasts is JoAnne Purtan.

"I'll never forget that first morning because news is different than sports," she said. "The sportscaster usually get three minutes and these morning newscasts were two hours on a Saturday and Sunday morning. I knew from the beginning he would make the transition phenomenally well."

Switching to morning and early afternoon work also was a good fit for Faust and wife Jennifer, who have three young --and very active -- children.

Daughter Ava is 9, son Drake is 8 and another son, Graham, is 4.

"It's great for the family and he's home by 1:30," Jennifer Faust said. "We do evenings together and it's great, he gets to all the kids' practices and the games."

A typical day for Faust includes leaving for work at 4 a.m., being on the air from 5 to 7 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m. He also is active in charity work and in Catholic church programs.

Being a familiar face in the Detroit area means Faust has grown used to strangers recognizing him or talking to him.

"It can be a bit of a nuisance," Jennifer Faust said. "If he's with us, I always joke about having to put on makeup and get dressed up."

Contact reporter Norm Sanders at nsanders@bnd.com or 239-2454.