Today was one of those days where I didn't like seeing my phone first thing. My feed was full of the news that Mr. College Football, Keith Jackson, had passed away last night. To say I was immediately filled with sadness is an understatement. Not only was Keith the voice of College Football for me growing up, but one of the nicest people I ever had the chance to meet. I met him a couple times, and it was why I really enjoyed covering games at Autzen.
Each Tuesday, the Oregon Ducks would send out the game notes for the upcoming game. The first thing I would look at would be the TV announcing crew if I knew it was a regional or nationally televised game.
The 2017 Las Vegas Bowl game notes denoting who would call the game
I would always get really excited if I saw "Keith Jackson" as the TV pxp. Not only was he the best, but he would be calling the game I was at. Growing up, Keith was Saturday college football for me. Whether it was him calling the game from Michigan Stadium, or a Pac-10 game from Pullman, if I heard his voice, I would have to watch. He is one of handful of reasons why I fell in love with college football. He coined the term "Big House", referring to Michigan Stadium's 100,000 plus seats. He called some of the most memorable moments that defined my childhood sports memories including what I believe to be the most iconic of all time..."Hello Heisman!"
The first time I met him, we passed each other in the hallway of the old Autzen Stadium press box. It was a cold and cramped press box, but he was warm and welcoming. He reminded me of my grandfather. I just introduced myself to him and shared a couple words about Michigan football. That game was the night Oregon beat Oregon State to lock in a Fiesta Bowl bid. Keenan Howry had one of the defining moments in Oregon Football history. "Told you he's dynamite!"
He will always be the voice of Saturday's on TV for me. Keith Jackson you will be missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment