Slouched on the foot of the bed inside his Grand Forks hotel room, play-by-play announcer Todd Ickow took a break from prepping for football's 2013 season opener versus North Dakota. He turned on the television, flipped through several channels before tossing the remote control towards his pillow.

"You know, I haven't watched TV on a Wednesday night in over 13 years. What's even on?" Ickow said in a manner that astonished even himself.

He has no issue with television programming. It's just that Wednesday nights mean only one thing for Ickow: poker.

Few constants exist within a professional poker player's lifestyle, but a mixed game at Horseshoe Casino in nearby Hammond is perpetually circled in the Wednesday column on Ickow's calendar. A man of leisure and many hobbies, poker has provided a comfortable life for the Voice of the Crusaders. Raised in a gambling family, it's what he knows best.

One of his first jobs was selling hot dogs at Chicago Cubs and White Sox games. Vendors were to report two hours before the game to pick up their concessions for the day. A great deal of down time existed between then and first pitch, and, as a result, poker games became the source of entertainment for vendors at Wrigley and Comiskey Park. 

Since his days of playing in the bleachers of Wrigley Field, he's shared a table with nearly every marquee name in the sport including poker lord Doyle Brunson. An innate ability to quickly dissect odds and probabilities alerts Ickow when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em. 

"A strong understanding of math is extremely important to be successful in poker, but being able to act on it is equally essential. I'm also very patient which is critical as well," Ickow said. 

Probed about the psychology of the game, he admits it plays a role. But he prefers to read situations and not necessarily players. A game that peaked in popularity in the 2000's thanks to the proliferation of televised events, poker is a "fun, but stressful" way to pay the bills. 

While poker commands a healthy share of Ickow's time, horse racing remains a strong interest. Several years ago, he invested with a friend who is involved in horse breeding. Ickow's last horse, Frabster, netted him generous gains. His current filly, Crusader Girl Too, has Ickow ecstatic as she trains to run next spring in the Chicagoland area.

Ickow has also dabbled in the restaurant business. "Buffalouie's" was a joint venture with a number of former Crusader basketball players including Bryce Drew as well as a number of local businessmen. Though the business was sold four years ago, "Shoe's Pizzeria" in Valparaiso still uses the wing sauce recipe.

Through all these occupations and avocations, Ickow still finds time to pursue his lifelong passion of sports announcing. As a student in the early 80's at Niles North High School in Skokie, Ill., Ickow made his broadcasting debut calling a Niles North vs. Libertyville boys' basketball game. In a funny set of circumstances, Valpo standout Jim Ford was the star player for the visiting Wildcats.

Ford went on to score over 1,400 points for the Brown and Gold and currently ranks 11th all-time in career points. Ickow went on to Indiana University to earn his degree in radio broadcasting.

Ickow immersed himself in the hotbed of Hoosier sports. As a sophomore, he worked as a live reporter for a commercial radio station during Indiana's 1987 national basketball championship season. He shared a classroom with current Fox Sports announcer Joe Buck. The two often discussed their futures in the business, though Ickow concedes Buck's status in the industry was established well before Joe left IU to take a job as the sports director at KMOX Radio in St. Louis, a station where his father, Jack, reached national acclaim.

Though the two have taken much different career paths, longevity reigns as a common denominator.

Thursday's football opener in Macomb represents his 24th year in the broadcast booth for Crusader sports. What originally projected as a stint that would last just a couple years has translated into a career best measured in decades.

Since Ickow arrived in Valpo, the university has switched conferences, athletic directors, and endured numerous coaching changes. Through it all, Valpo Athletics and Todd Ickow have emerged as an unbeatable pair.