The part of WKRP Program Director Andy Travis was not cast until two days before rehearsals for the pilot began. It was actually Mary Tyler Moore herself who was the first to say that Gary Sandy was "the fellow we've been looking for".
There had been several problems. First, they had to find a straight character who could interact with the rest of the "zanies" that populated WKRP. The Andy Travis role was known as "The Main Driver of the Car". The second problem was that the seven person casting group narrowed it down to seven actors, but they each picked a different actor.
Gary came extremely close to being a Sportscaster instead of an Actor. He lost a college scholarship by a technicality that kept him out of the finals of a debate competition. Gary had made it all the way to the semi-finals held at Ohio State University.
His speech teacher reacted quickly by making a last minute switch, entering Gary in the one-act play competition. He won a championship in drama and was named All-State actor. Even after three years of Hugh Heiland's Theatre program at Wilmington College, he enrolled in an Atlanta broadcasting school, rather than going to New York as Heiland advised to pursue acting. Gary's father had his heart set on his son being a sportscaster, but, in Atlanta, Gary quickly proved that his heart wasn't in it. He then went to New York to study at the Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Despite his several forays into prep for Sportcasting, Gary had the credentials for the WKRP job. Not only did he know how to act, but also had a keen comedic sense. As an added bonus, he was brought up in Kettering, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio.