Shane Bacon was not your average college student.

Sure, he played varsity basketball, went to class most of the time, and chased girls, but while most of his fellow classmates at Green Mountain College were thinking about partying, he had other ideas.

“While all the other kids were partying, I was getting a ride from an old guy in town to go see harness racing at Saratoga,” said Bacon. “The guys on the team thought I was nuts.”

Well, he’s crazy about racing. There’s little doubt about that.

“The first time I went to Bangor Raceway, I was a freshman in high school and I was listening to George Hale call the races,” Bacon said. “It was then I decided that’s what I really wanted to do.”

Although his career path has taken a lot of twists, turns, and detours over the ensuing 29 years, Bacon has realized his longtime employment goal, probably to a greater degree than even he imagined.

The Carmel native is an announcer at two big racetracks.

Bacon is the track announcer and oddsmaker for Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes Barre, Pa., as well as the track announcer at Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack on the shores of the Delaware River in nearby Chester, Pa.

“I’ve been working at Pocono since 2000,” the 44-year-old Bacon said. “I just started at Harrah’s this year. I work four days a week at Pocono and three at Harrah’s.”

He must love his work.

“The bottom line is that when you’ve got the bug in this business, you’ve got it,” he said.

Harrah’s just opened Sept. 10 and will run races three days per week until Dec. 18. Pocono’s season runs April to Nov. 11.

It’s been quite a ride from Hermon High to Harrah’s.

Bacon spent a year at Green Mountain, but decided to transfer to the University of Maine to pursue an education degree. Despite getting a job as a substitute teacher in Glenburn, there were still signs pointing to an alternate career.

“When I got to Maine, I scheduled my classes so I could get out at a certain time and punch mutuel tickets on the fair circuit in Maine,” Bacon said. “I went to Maine off and on for three years, but then I started selling tip cards in Lewiston.

“That’s how I supported myself. I made good money, averaging $100 a day. All the kids said I had to be the only guy in college who left with more money than he came with.”

It was at this time that Bacon met Lloyd Johnson, longtime announcer at Scarborough Raceway who became Bacon’s mentor.

“I started announcing and oddsmaking in Lewiston in 1986 until they closed in 1990,” Bacon said.

From then, it was on to selling cars and painting houses, but Bacon kept his hand on the reins by filling in as an announcer in New Hampshire and New Jersey. He lived a personal dream around this same time period.

“The last year the city of Bangor ran Bangor Raceway, I think it was 1993, I called races full time after George got done,” Bacon recalled. “That was a pretty cool thing for me.”

Bacon also did announcing jobs on the fair circuit at Presque isle, Windsor and Union. Finally, he got his big break with Pocono.

“I love doing this. It’s hard to explain,” Bacon said. “I’m so excited about the racing, if someone didn’t know anything about racing, they’d still stop and watch because I make it interesting.”

Pocono vice-president of racing Conrad Sobkowiak agrees wholeheartedly.

“He’s got a distinctive and exciting call which adds a flavor to our races,” Sobkowiak said. “You know it’s Pocono when you hear him and not every race sounds the same.”

A Maine high school basketball official for 16 years, Bacon isn’t sure how long or where he’ll stay in the announcing biz, but he does know whenever he turns off the microphone, he’ll be back permanently in Maine, where he still maintains his home with wife Debbie and children Tyra and Jett.

Presently, he flies up every week or two, spends November though March in Maine, and has his family come down for the summer vacation months.

“I love it in Maine and I can’t stand to be away from my kids,” said Bacon. “My mom and brother live there and my wife and I want my children going to school in Hermon”

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net