College Football Announcing Icon Keith Jackson has passed away at age 89
Very sad. His voice was the essence of Big 10 Football for years every Fall Saturday.
Did a lot of Pac games, as well. One of the Greats.
My favorite line, from a Monster USC punt, “He… Just… Killed It!”
He called many professional games, too. He was on the original Monday Night Football broadcasting team, along with Howard Cosell and Don Meredith.
That’s what I mostly associate him with. (He was also an alum of WSU.)
Also, as with the animated choo-choo train at the beginning of “Soul Train”, seeing him on screen meant Saturday morning cartoons were over for another week. (Depending on the time zone, sometimes this was as early as 10 am.)
In any case, he was a classic broadcaster. I think for the rest of my life, whenever I turn on a college football game, a part of me will expect to hear Jackson’s voice.
Keith Jackson WAS college football for many of us for a long, long time. Like Vin Scully with baseball, and Chick Hern with basketball, Jackson had a unique way of making the game more than just something being played out on your television screen. It’s never been quite the same without him. Sad, sad day.
And, yes, for those of us in the Pacific time zone, cartoons ended with college football.
I’m one of the old timers who remembers that!