Randy Smith
Don't get me wrong. My friend Bob Kesling did a wonderful job for 25 years as Tennessee's "Voice of the Vols." He was in a no-win situation because he was replacing a legend. Following John Ward in the Vols' broadcast booth was not exactly the perfect job. Some people would not like you simply because you weren't John Ward. He changed several things but couldn't really do a complete revamp of college sports most famous radio network. That's because it was as perfect as it could be for years.
John Ward was the best ever at what he did. Not only announcing the games but he was ahead of his time in terms of innovation and planning. His passion for Tennessee athletics was unique and so was his approach to play by play. He always told me when the game began, he slipped into a character. The guy we all heard saying, " Give him Six!" or, " It's Football Time In Tennessee!" was not really who he was in person. He was a pro's pro and his love and passion for the University of Tennessee was evident from the first time you heard him do a game.
That love and passion returned on Saturday as the Vol's new radio voice, Mike Keith, made his debut on the Vol Network. Mike didn't have the legendary John Ward being compared to him. He took away what he wanted to take away and added what he wanted to add to the broadcast of Tennessee's season opener with Syracuse. He brought back, John Ward's dramatic, " It's Football Time In Tennessee," as the Vols raced out onto the field at Atlanta's Mercedes Benz Stadium, which is exactly what he should have done.
Mike is certainly no fool. He knows not to borrow John's other calls but the excitement in his voice reminds you of the way John used to do it. "It's Football Time In Tennessee," never belonged just to John Ward. It belonged to the last, great P.A. announcer Bobby Denton and it belongs to every Tennessee fan who dons the orange and white each and every gameday. It's more than just a phrase used at a college football game. In Tennessee, it's a way of life. It means that for the next three to four hours, the Vols are playing football so everything else takes a back seat.
Great job, Mike Keith! I heard a Tennessee fan say on Saturday, "I've waited to hear that kind of excitement from the Vols' play by play announcer for years."
I communicated with Mike via text on Sunday and he said, "We have a long way to go to sound the way that we want and give the fans what we hope to give them. So proud of Ramon (Analyst Ramon Foster) he got better as each quarter went by! Very proud of our group as we got it all off the ground. I wish we had a game today to build on yesterday but we'll wait six more days."
The Vols host East Tennessee this Saturday at Neyland Stadium. So, build on that excitement and that passion Mike! It's just what we all needed.
* * *
Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com