By
Carrah Bechtel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Journalism junior Ryan Finley crosses over from sports desk to lead the paper
After writing for the Arizona Daily Wildcat's sports desk for two years, Ryan Finley says he's ready to step in as the new editor in chief.
"I will miss being in sports," said Finley, a journalism junior. "You can be loose, and you don't have to be as serious as I will have to be as editor. I'm okay with that, though."
But last night, as the Wildcat finished its last daily paper of the spring semester, Finley realized how excited he was for his new job and the amount of new members who will join the staff in the fall.
He wants to make the paper look good, therefore making his staff look good, he added.
Finley wants students to pick up the paper everyday - in fact, his goal is to have the newspaper racks left empty every day.
"It would be great if we had a few professors melt down over students reading the Wildcat during class," Finley added. "I want them to be late to class because they're out grabbing a paper. I want them to keep it on their coffee tables."
Journalism is in Finley's blood - his parents, graduates of San Diego State University, both majored in journalism. His father went on to be a sports writer for 18 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune. His twin brother is also a journalism major and sports writer at the University of Missouri.
As sports editor, Finley said he enjoyed traveling and taking advantage of the journalist's life. It is immediately apparent that his passion is in sports.
"As a sports writer I was able to travel to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Antonio and Kansas City. For me that was the ultimate - you get to go to stuff that 90 percent of the population never gets to do. This is the greatest college job out there and I wish more people knew about it," he said.
So what is Finley's greater vision as a journalist after the Wildcat?
"A lot of people want to drive fancy cars and have a lot of money," he said. "I just want to do something I love and pay the bills. I'll go to whichever (newspaper) takes me. Sports comes easy to me, but I don't want to limit myself."
Finley said he would work for the Wildcat even if he were not paid for it.
"It makes me tick," he said with a glint in his eye.
