John Ward (broadcaster)

John Ward is the former radio play-by-play broadcaster for the University of Tennessee, primarily from 1965 until 1999. Ward received a law degree in 1954 at the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville. Rather than practicing law, he decided to go into radio and advertising. Ward's first broadcast of a UT basketball game for the Vol Network came in 1958. (Tennessee, under the leadership of legendary football coach Robert Neyland, had become one of the first American universities to take its sports broadcasting rights in-house.) Shortly after, Ward joined the Army.

After returning to Knoxville, Ward went to work at an advertising agency. In 1964 he began handling the duties as announcer-host-coordinator for UT coaches television shows in football and basketball. His broadcasting career blossomed when he became the Vols' radio play-by-play voice, first, for basketball in 1965 and three years later for football (1968).

In addition to his duties with the Vol Network, he covered events for ABC-TV and ESPN.^[1] Ward is a member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.^[2] Ward was known as the "Voice of the Vols" for 31 years on the air. Ward and Bill Anderson, his color commentator for the entire 31 years, became the longest-running broadcasting partnership in college football.^[3]

His trademarks include: his introduction to each game, "It's football time in Tennessee!;" his touchdown call, "Give ... him ... SIX! ... TOUCHDOWN, TENNESSEE!;" asking, "Did he make it?", and answering, "HE MADE IT!," after a made field goal; made extra points were "GOOODAH!"; counting runners down toward the goal line, "four...three...two....one..." and enthusiastically saying, "BOTTOM!" after a made basket in basketball; and, wearing a light blue towel around his neck while broadcasting.

After the 1998–99 football and basketball seasons, in which the Volunteers won the National Championship in football, Ward and Anderson retired, and were replaced by Bob Kesling and Tim Priest, respectively. The University of Tennessee named the fourth level of the press box at Neyland Stadium The John Ward Broadcast Center in Ward's honor in 1995.^[4] Ward's final football broadcast was the first BCS national championship. Tennessee defeated Florida State to win its second undisputed national championship. His final broadcast for the Vols came in the second round of the 1999 NCAA men's basketball tournament, with Tennessee's loss to Southwest Missouri State University.

As of 2016, Ward still does some commercial radio advertisements and public service announcements heard statewide.

References

1. UT Sports
2. UT Distinguished Alumni
3. Tennessee Vols Traditions
4. utsports.com - Vol Network Personnel