Darryl Bruffett announces retirement as KBTX Sports Director

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – KBTX Sports Director Darryl Bruffett, an almost 37-year veteran of KBTX, announced Wednesday during News 3 at Six he will be retiring on Aug. 3, marking the end of the longest on-air tenure at the station.

Bruffett began his journey with KBTX on Aug. 3, 1987, when Station Manager Ulman McMullen and News Director Jeff Braun hired him—starting as a weekend sports anchor and a news and sports photojournalist.

In April 1988, Bruffett became a full-time employee in the KBTX Sports department following Jeff McShan’s move to KTRK in Houston and Ron Crozier’s promotion to sports director.

In December 1990, when Crozier left television, KBTX General Manager Jim Baronet promoted 27-year-old Darryl to the role of sports director, a position he has held for the last 33 years.

During Wednesday’s 6 p.m. broadcast, Darryl shared his retirement announcement with KBTX viewers:

“As our ratings indicate, over 100,000 viewers invite us at KBTX into their homes every night. It has been my honor to be among those you have watched nightly, trusted to bring you reliable news, accurate weather forecasting, and sports coverage focusing on Texas A&M, Sam Houston, and Brazos Valley high schools.

Today, I am announcing that Aug. 3 will be my last day serving as your Sports Director here at Channel 3, as we were known for decades in The Brazos Valley when I started on Aug. 3, 1987.

As my full-time sportscasting career comes to a close, we’ll look back at some of the more memorable moments. While you may laugh a lot, those who know me best could see me shed a lot of tears!

I recently did a story about my mentor Matt Musil retiring from KHOU-TV in Houston, where I began as a weekend sports producer in 1986. A viewer messaged me saying I was now the longest-tenured TV sportscaster in Texas, a distinction I held for just four months!

I have spent well over half my life at KBTX. The decision to step away was not easy, but I feel it is the right one. I’ll explain more in the coming month and share what the future holds for me here in the Brazos Valley.

I feel like I speak for all of us at KBTX who see our viewers as family. I wanted you to know that my ‘Howdy, Brazos Valley’ greeting will come to an end one month from today.”

In the coming days, KBTX will announce Bruffett’s replacement as sports director. Bruffett will continue to be a presence at KBTX, focusing on Classroom Champions, a segment recognizing student-athletes he helped start in the fall of 1995, and additional projects. In 2025, KBTX will honor its 1,000th Classroom Champion.

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