If Brian Gary were a professional baseball or hockey player, in a couple weeks he would be getting his ring for winning the World Series or going around the country with Lord Stanley's Cup.

But he's not a professional athlete. He's a disc jockey in Colorado.

So, for the former Mandan resident, it will not be a ring or a trophy, but rather a CMA award for being the best on-air personality in his market.

Gary, whose real name is Brian Flaa, graduated from Mandan High School in 1984, and on Nov. 12, he, along with his partner, will accept the award for Small Market Personalities of the Year by the Country Music Association.

The awards program will be broadcast on ABC from the Sommet Center in Nashville at 7 p.m.

Flaa and his partner, Todd Harding, are the "Good Morning Guys" on KUAD Radio (K99) in Windsor, just outside of Greeley, Colo.

For Flaa, it was his first nomination in the 20 years he's been on the air in Colorado, and his first win.

One-for-one is a pretty good batting average, and Flaa said it takes him back to when he first got into the business in Bismarck as a DJ at Y93.

Around that time, Flaa entered a talent competition at the Front Page nightclub doing stand-up comedy - and won it.

"It was the first time I did stand-up, and the last," he said, laughing.

True, except for a couple of weeks ago. Flaa and his partner took their show on the road doing a live show at a club, celebrating 20 years on the air.

Flaa also worked at the old Budget Tapes and Records store in downtown Bismarck, where he cut his teeth in the music business. When his wife, Kyla, took a job in Colorado, Flaa got on as a part-time DJ at the then rock 'n' roll station. That was in 1988.

Since then, it's been a long, strange trip, he said.

As part of the morning drive show, Flaa said he takes it upon himself to make sure his listeners get their days off to a good start.

"I want people to laugh," he said. "Nothing feels better than to just laugh."

Flaa admits he's a bit of a rebel.

"I can't tell you how many times I've almost been fired," he said with a chuckle.

But the gods were smiling and ownership or management at the station changed and Flaa stayed on the air.

As far as the award itself, Flaa said it's gratifying as well as humbling.

"At least now my parents have proof for their friends that I'm not in prison."

His parents are Gary and Darlene Flaa of Mandan.

Flaa starts his day at 2:30 in the morning and scours the Internet and other sources for things he finds amusing - then he runs with it. As a self-described class clown, when he chose to attend class, Flaa said he looks for "news" that is more on the side of the obscure, then takes it to the left from there.

"I look at things and say to myself, 'yeah, there's a joke there somewhere,' then I kind of ad-lib it from there."

He said he puts together a game plan of sorts about how the show will go each morning, but in all reality, most days there's no plan at all.

As far as his partner, Flaa said they are complete opposites and that's worked for the past two decades.

"He's the straight man and I play off that," he said.

Part of what Flaa does on a semi-routine basis is what he calls his North Dakota routine, where he pokes good-natured fun at the people back home.

And with all of the rubbing elbows he does with the stars, it would be easy enough to let at least a part of it go to your head.

In fact, Flaa and Harding got a call from country singer Bucky Convington notifying them of the award.

"I went to get a soda and I told him if the phone rings, come and get me," he said.

Flaa said he no sooner walked down the hallway when someone came running after him.

"I knew that was the call - it was so cool to get that call."

And while being a celebrity has its ups and downs, Flaa says there are way more ups than there are downs.

"My wife gets tired of it sometimes."

Fame has its advantages, though.

"I even have a burger named after me at a local restaurant," he said.

The Brian Gary Burger consists of two quarter-pound beef patties, three deep-fried cheese sticks and bacon, all topped with two Rocky Mountain Oysters.

"You can order the gelding or the stallion version,"he said, with a laugh.

But with fame comes responsibility. Flaa helped organize "28 Hours of Hope," a promotion at the station that raises awareness and money for abused children.

And the country music world has climbed aboard full-scale.

"We'll get about 30 stars calling in during that time, and it's been a huge success."

Ten years ago, when the promotion began, they raised a little more than $7,000.

This year - $100,000.

A long, strange trip? Indeed.

But for Flaa, it's been a phenomenal ride.

"I'm doing what I love to do and I get to do it every day," he said.

And the award?

"It's like getting an Academy Award in country music," he said.

"But being in your hometown newspaper, that's the tops."

(Reach reporter Brian Gehring 250-8254 or brian.gehring@;bismarcktribune.com.)