Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6B
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018
Remembering announcer Keith Jackson
The loss of a treasured friend
“My friendship with Keith Jackson was
an enriching experience. I gloried in the
fact that he grew up in a familiar environ
ment — austere and limited — but rose to
the top of a profession he never intended
to pursue. There was an especial quali
ty that Keith had which sets the titans of
any profession apart — genuineness. ”
Loran Smith
The death of a trea
sured friend falls heavy
on the emotions.
Keith Jackson was a
treasured and revered
friend, and I am moved
to make a final tribute
to this wonderful friend
of college foot
ball.
Soon after
Keith became
established
with ABC, I
learned that he
was a native
Georgian
which led to a
search for this
hometown.
There was no
easy access
Internet in
those days, but
good fortune came about
when he showed up at
a meeting of the col
lege sports information
directors (COSIDA) one
summer.
Following an intro
duction, we agreed to
meet later in the day for
a libation and conversa
tion, fortunately the first
of many.
Over the years with
summer jobs, Bulldog
Club meetings and visit
ing with college friends,
I have spent time in
every one of Georgia’s
159 counties.
My familiarity with
the small towns in
Georgia, as a result of
this exposure, is not
unabridged but I think
you could safely say it
is fairly extensive.
I thought I was famil
iar with most of the out
posts and small commu
nities in our state, but
when Keith allowed that
he was from Roopville,
I had no idea where he
grew up.
When he laughed,
“near Carrollton,” I
quickly grasped the
place of his roots. With
the passing of time,
there were many conver
sations about his days
in Carroll County and
life down on the farm
which caused
such terms as,
“Whoa Nel
lie,” to enter
his broadcast
lexicon.
This was a
man who grew
up walking
about bare
foot. He knew
all about farm
chores. The
hard life he
never com
plained about.
You play the cards you
are dealt, but with this
broadcast titan, there
was a wanderlust which
needed satiating. He
would listen to a battery
powered radio and was
always in tune with the
easy listening of WSB
Radio.
He heard the house
announcers sing out
the call letters slogan
during the day which
brought about a classic
circumstance on one of
his early trips to Ath
ens with ABC. I asked
him to be a guest on
the Georgia pre-game
show which then took
place on a hillside just
off Field Street.
Before I could intro
duce him, he leaned
into the microphone and
said, “Welcome South
Brother.”
Then with a generous
smile he added, “I’ve
always wanted to do
that.”
He was old school,
a traditionalist who
became a world traveler,
but it was the United
States Marines which
enabled him to get off
the farm. Austerity pre
vailed, meagerness was
in abundant supply. He
knew that college was
the remotest of possi
bilities, but he knew
there was a way. At
16, he lied about is age
and joined the Marines.
Keith Jackson was one
of millions of young
American men who uti
lized the G. I. Bill to
succeed in life.
After four years with
the Marines, Keith
returned home to make
his next move—to Pull
man, Washington, about
as far from Roopville
as the moon for those
in his family. Invoking
conjectural analysis, his
settling in at Washington
State may have arisen
out of his wanting sep
aration from the home
stead. He admitted in
a conversationon on his
deck one night in his
home in Sherman Oaks
that there wasn’t exactly
an abundance of broth
erly love between two of
his uncles.
While listening to
the broadcast of a high
school game in Pullman
one Friday night, Keith
decided to go down to
the station, introduce
himself to the general
manager with this cri
tique, “The worst foot
ball broadcast I ever
heard.” The GM told
him if he thought he was
such an expert he could
call play-by-by of the
next game. That is how
Keith Jackson became a
broadcaster.
The visits to his deck
in Sherman Oaks and
on my back porch emit
warm memories that
will endure. We often
talked about cranking
up a video recorder for
his recollections, but
he would always, say,
“Next time,” as the bar
tender replenished our
drinks.
Labor Day 1972,
Clemson came to Athens
for the opening of col
lege football season on
ABC-TV. The network
sent an all-star cast. In
addition to Keith and
Frank Broyles, the color
analyst, there were Jack
Whitaker, Jim Lampley
and a couple of network
executives. I remember
Whitaker, an excellent
broadcast essayist, being
taken by the “UGA cam
pus environment.”
If you remember those
days, the music scene
had not exploded on
Athens, restaurants were
closed on Sunday, there
was no liquor by the
drink sales. It could
have been an embarrass
ing situation. I went
to Coach Bill Hartman,
chairman of the schol
arship fund which had
funds for public rela
tions, and told him it
was going to be a dull
evening for our VIP
guests.
I suggested that if he
would underwrite the
cost of a catered din
ner, my wife, Myrna,
and I would host it. As
always, Coach Hart
man was most gener
ous and a memorable
party ensued. We includ
ed producers, directors
and a host of ABC per
sonnel. Those network
executives were blown
away.
After the meal, we all
crammed onto our back
porch as the story telling
began. It seemed to go
on until the late hours.
Those network folks can
party as hard as they
work. Like turning off
a faucet, Keith eventu
ally stood up and sig
naled for his driver. The
memorable party was
over. As the evening
ended, Keith whispered,
“Friend, this meant a lot
to our company, and I
appreciate it.”
On Thursday before
the game when I had
driven over to the Atlan
ta Airport to pick him up
for the weekend, he got
off the first-class cabin
(again, times were dif
ferent), lugging a box.
He had taped a handle
onto the container.
Curious but not saying
anything, I wondered
why it was so heavy.
When he got out of
his car at the motel, he
winked and said, as he
pointed to the box, “This
is a little something for
you.” When the box was
opened, it was a case of
“Silver Oak” wine.
We honored him with
a citation and a proc
lamation in halftime
ceremonies, but he was
overwhelmed when we
invited his mother and
stepfather to join us for
the weekend.
My friendship with
Keith Jackson was an
enriching experience. I
gloried in the fact that
he grew up in a familiar
environment — austere
and limited — but rose
to the top of a profes
sion he never intended
to pursue. There was
an especial quality that
Keith had which sets
the titans of any profes
sion apart — genuine
ness. Keith Jackson was
as genuine as the bro-
gans he wore growing
up in Roopville. Not all
successful and accom
plished people have that
quality.
Loran Smith is a col
umnist for the Barrow
News-Journal. He is
co-host of the Univer
sity of Georgia football
radio pre-game show.
Whoa Nelly! Remembering a legend
The passing of sports
broadcasting icon Keith
Jackson brought back a
ton of childhood memo
ries for me.
While a young
college football
fan probably
doesn’t under
stand it today,
there was a time
when every
game was not
televised.
The games
which were
worthy of air
time were actu
ally important
ones or contests which
were big rivalries.
You knew the game
was special if Jackson
was handling play-by-
play. There’s no tell
ing how many games
I watched with Jack-
son and Frank Broyles
describing the action in
vivid fashion, including
the Sugar Bowl between
Notre Dame and Geor
gia following the 1980
season.
I still remember the big
television set in our den
where I would sit inches
from (not wise I know)
on Saturday afternoons
in the fall with Jackson
and Broyles making you
feel like you were there.
A long-forgotten fact
about Jackson was that
he was part of the origi
nal Monday Night Foot
ball broadcast trio on
ABC along with Howard
Cosell and Don Mere
dith. The show began
airing in 1970 and broke
trends for pro football
broadcasting at the time.
The three-man
announcing booth was
different as well
as the way those
calling the
action handled
their duties.
Jackson was the
play-by-play
announcer with
Cosell the insti
gator and Mer
edith providing
comical offer
ings.
For reasons
still not really known,
the producers decided
to take Jackson off the
team after the initial sea
son, a move which infu
riated him. They offered
him a chance at a new
role as “the voice of col
lege football.” Jackson
felt it was a demotion
as even at that time the
professional game was
considered a bigger role
for an announcer than
handling regionalized
college football contests.
As it turned out, Jack-
son more than excelled
in his role as a college
football announcer as
the lead broadcaster for
ABC.
He would be at the big
games each week wheth
er they took place in the
South or North or on the
West Coast.
His catch phrases
like “Whoa Nelly!” and
“Fumble!” became his
signature.
“In 2018 virtually every college football game
of every level is available to watch on a week
ly basis. If it's not part of the ESPN or ABC
package, there are numerous other stations
which air games. You can even watch games
on your computer as part of the ESPN 3
setup. There was a time, however, that when
the big game of the week aired Jackson would
be there to set the picture for you. Quite
frankly, college football broadcasts have
not been the same since Jackson retired. ”
Jackson would also
announce Olympic
events, Major League
Baseball and was the
lead announcer for the
short-lived USFL in
the early-to-mid ‘80s.
He teamed with Cosell
again on Monday Night
Baseball broadcasts in
the late ‘70s and handled
that sport with the same
ease as he did football.
His announcer duties for
the USFL gave credibili
ty to a league that might
still be with us if not for
its decision to move its
seasons to the fall from
the spring.
His announcing of col
lege football games con
tinued for decades.
His last big event was
the USC-Texas Rose
Bowl which is still rec
ognized as one of the
best national title games
ever played.
By this point in his
career, age had caught
up with Jackson some
what and I remember
him making several mis
takes during that broad
cast.
However, it’s hard to
offer any criticism to
someone who was such
a legend at his craft.
Even Dan Fouts, who
was Jackson’s final
announcing partner,
knew never to correct
Jackson on the air even
when the mistakes were
obvious.
You simply don’t do
that to a legend.
In 2018 virtually every
college football game of
every level is available
to watch on a weekly
basis. If it’s not part of
the ESPN or ABC pack
age, there are numerous
other stations which air
games.
You can even watch
games on your computer
as part of the ESPN 3
setup.
There was a time, how
ever, that when the big
game of the week aired
Jackson would be there
Chris Bridges
to set the picture for you.
Quite frankly, college
football broadcasts have
not been the same since
Jackson retired.
Winder resident Chris
Bridges is a former
sports editor of the Bar-
row News-Journal. He
welcomes comments
about this column at
pchrisbridges@ gmail.
com.
$ 5 00 0FF
Ticket Of^O 10 Or More. Valid with coupon Mon.-Thurs. only.
La Hacienda Commerce La Hacienda Braselton
173 Steven B. Tanger Blvd. 5391 Highway 53
706-335-7458 706-654-0070
I The Original Mexican Restaurant! Not affiliated with any other restaurant. |
74 N Broad St
Winder, GA 30680-1902
Phone (770)867-3171
