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9/3/2016 8:00:00 AM | Football, Men's Basketball
After four decades at the microphone, the Voice of the Blue Devils Bob Harris is headed for retirement in 2017
DURHAM, N.C. – Bob Harris, Duke's Hall of Fame radio play-by-play broadcaster for the past four decades, recently announced that he will be retiring after the 2016-17 basketball season. With that news, Blue Devil fans across the country will no longer hear the voice of a man they have come to love.
“How sweet it is!” That sentence is exclaimed often by this local personality. As the Voice of the Blue Devils, he has gotten to use his favorite phrase quite frequently in calling Duke men's basketball games. With the recent success in football at Duke, he has been able to employ it even more.
Harris has been a part of 13 Final Fours, 10 national championship games and five national championships with the basketball program of Coach K. His call of Christian Laettner's game-winning shot against Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA Tournament is still a part of the annual promotion for March Madness. In football, he has called six bowl games, including Coach Cutcliffe's current string of four in a row.
Harris has been calling Duke football and basketball games since 1976. He's in the Stanly County and North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He has been chosen as a three-time winner of the N.C. Sportscaster of the Year, and Governor Pat McCrory recently awarded Harris the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which honors North Carolinians for exemplary service to the state.
Along with his many professional accomplishments, Harris is also a genuinely nice man. When he greets you with his big, eloquent voice, he offers a firm handshake with a smile that lets you know he is happy to see you. He gives his time generously, especially when it comes to those in need — he's active in many local charities, such as Duke Children's Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House and the Durham Rescue Mission, among others.
Harris is happily married to his wife Phyllis, despite a rather funny start to their romance. He grew up in Albemarle, N.C., about a two-hour drive from Durham. On his first date with Phyllis, in Albemarle, they decided to go to the movies. They drove by the theater, didn't particularly care for what was showing, so they drove to the other “movie house” in town, and didn't really want to see that one either. So, not knowing quite what to do at this point, and not being at a loss for words most of the time, he popped the question to Phyllis. That's right, on their first-ever date, Bob said to Phyllis, “Why don't we just head on down to South Carolina and get married?”
Well, to say the least, Phyllis must have thought to herself, “What have I gotten myself into?” But as Bob recently said, “Going out with that girl was the best decision of my life.”
No, they did not get married on that first date, but two years later they did, and are celebrating 53 years together in 2016. Their family includes daughter Bobbi Harris-McCoy, son-in-law Ron McCoy, and two grandchildren, Tripp and Meredith.
In a recent speech, Harris shared memories of his many years of calling games for his beloved Duke Blue Devils. He recalled the night Jack Givens poured in 41 points for Kentucky in a win over Duke in the 1978 national championship game. That was his first Final Four; he has called 12 more since then, that dozen under “the coach who will go down as the greatest college basketball coach of all-time, maybe the greatest basketball coach ever, at any level,” Mike Krzyzewski. In response to a question about what makes Coach K so successful, one of the many attributes that Harris mentioned was that Krzyzewski is the best time manager and the “best day extender” he knew. He said that Coach K seemed to turn a day into 28 hours, where most of us have only 24.
Along with all those very successful years calling Duke basketball games, Harris has a truly remarkable record of calling 459, and counting, consecutive football games entering the 2016 campaign. That's every game beginning with the season opener of 1976. Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, upon hearing the news of Harris' impending retirement, said, “Deservedly so, Bob is in the class of radio broadcasting icons, and we've been fortunate to have him in our booth. Congratulations to Bob on just an incredible tenure, a true Hall of Fame career, behind the microphone. When I think of Bob three words that immediately come to mind are passion, dedication, and consistency. Bob has given his heart and soul to Duke fans, coaches and student-athletes over the past four decades, and for that we are forever grateful. With all of that said, I am most proud to call him my friend.”
Harris told me that he fell in love with Duke University while growing up listening to Add Penfield on the radio. Penfield became Duke's first Voice of the Blue Devils in 1938, the year of the original Iron Dukes football team, and served in that capacity for a majority of the 38 seasons before Harris arrived. “Even before I ever saw Wallace Wade Stadium, I knew from his vivid descriptions on the radio what it looked like,” Harris said. “Add used phrases such as 'lengthening autumnal shadows spreading across the green grass of Duke Stadium' as he described a game in late autumn. If I had 25 percent of the command of the English language and his eloquence, I would have been a pretty good broadcaster myself.
“I always try to instill in young people that I talk to that in broadcasting, you need to paint a word picture for listeners. It can be compared to being an artist. A broadcaster's canvas is the airwaves, and your brush is your voice. Add Penfield was a master painter of word pictures.” He then added, “Add Penfield has been a beacon for all of us in the broadcast industry.”
Harris had the pleasure of working with Penfield when he served as the color man during the Duke football season of 1974 and the basketball season of 1974-75.
Harris also recalls working with Penfield in 1974 at the PGA Championship at Tanglewood Golf Course in Winston-Salem. Shortly after this event, Harris was shown a letter that Penfield had written to Harris' boss, unbeknownst to him. In it, Penfield praised Harris' work ethic and professionalism. “It just shows the kind of man Add Penfield was — willing to go out of his way to help a young man trying to break into the field,” Harris said. “I'll never forget that act of kindness, and I still have a copy of that letter.”
When Penfield was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, Harris gave the induction speech.
Harris has written a wonderful book called, How Sweet It Is! From The Cotton Mill to The Crow's Nest. The book is about his life and includes page after page of Duke basketball and football history, and also has over 100 pictures. Not only that, but the book comes with an 80-minute CD of highlights of calls Harris has made through the years, along with interviews he conducted with Red Skelton and Muhammad Ali, among many others. Even a UNC fan might enjoy reading about the many contests between Duke and UNC that Bob has been involved in over the last 40 years. The book can be ordered by going to the website, www.voiceofthebluedevils.com.
Wallace Wade, the famous former football coach of Alabama and Duke, spoke to the Durham Sports Club back around 1976 or 1977. Coach Wade, who was known to speak his mind, commented to the audience, not knowing that Harris was in attendance (or perhaps just saying what was on his mind no matter who was around), “I'm not too happy with that young announcer of our football games, he just gets too excited and carried away.” Dr. Lenox Baker, who had known Coach Wade as long as anybody had, spoke up in Harris' defense, saying, “Now Coach Wade, Bob is just getting started, he's young, and he'll get better.”
Well, to say the least, Bob Harris has gotten better with each and every year, and those years now total 40, with one more to go. Thousands of Duke fans across North Carolina and the nation associate his voice with Duke basketball and football. Many fans would rather listen to Harris describe the game to them on the radio than listen to the television announcers, turning off the TV volume and tuning in to the radio instead. He is a favorite among fans, and Duke athletes through the years have looked to this affable man as a father figure and friend.
John Roth has worked alongside Harris as Duke men's basketball analyst since 1999. “This may sound cliché or colloquial,” Roth noted, “but Bob truly is one of a kind, and his retirement marks the end of an era. For many Duke fans, he is the only radio voice they've ever known. I hope his retirement is as rewarding and fulfilling as the Duke athletics experiences he has enriched for so many of us.”
Harris is already the longest tenured play-by-play man in ACC history, and we all get to enjoy a master at his craft one more year. For that, along with all these many years we have been able to sit next to a radio and listen to his eloquent words, we are mighty lucky.
DURHAM, N.C. – Bob Harris, Duke's Hall of Fame radio play-by-play broadcaster for the past four decades, recently announced that he will be retiring after the 2016-17 basketball season. With that news, Blue Devil fans across the country will no longer hear the voice of a man they have come to love.
“How sweet it is!” That sentence is exclaimed often by this local personality. As the Voice of the Blue Devils, he has gotten to use his favorite phrase quite frequently in calling Duke men's basketball games. With the recent success in football at Duke, he has been able to employ it even more.
Harris has been a part of 13 Final Fours, 10 national championship games and five national championships with the basketball program of Coach K. His call of Christian Laettner's game-winning shot against Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA Tournament is still a part of the annual promotion for March Madness. In football, he has called six bowl games, including Coach Cutcliffe's current string of four in a row.
Harris has been calling Duke football and basketball games since 1976. He's in the Stanly County and North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He has been chosen as a three-time winner of the N.C. Sportscaster of the Year, and Governor Pat McCrory recently awarded Harris the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which honors North Carolinians for exemplary service to the state.
Along with his many professional accomplishments, Harris is also a genuinely nice man. When he greets you with his big, eloquent voice, he offers a firm handshake with a smile that lets you know he is happy to see you. He gives his time generously, especially when it comes to those in need — he's active in many local charities, such as Duke Children's Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House and the Durham Rescue Mission, among others.
Harris is happily married to his wife Phyllis, despite a rather funny start to their romance. He grew up in Albemarle, N.C., about a two-hour drive from Durham. On his first date with Phyllis, in Albemarle, they decided to go to the movies. They drove by the theater, didn't particularly care for what was showing, so they drove to the other “movie house” in town, and didn't really want to see that one either. So, not knowing quite what to do at this point, and not being at a loss for words most of the time, he popped the question to Phyllis. That's right, on their first-ever date, Bob said to Phyllis, “Why don't we just head on down to South Carolina and get married?”
Well, to say the least, Phyllis must have thought to herself, “What have I gotten myself into?” But as Bob recently said, “Going out with that girl was the best decision of my life.”
No, they did not get married on that first date, but two years later they did, and are celebrating 53 years together in 2016. Their family includes daughter Bobbi Harris-McCoy, son-in-law Ron McCoy, and two grandchildren, Tripp and Meredith.
In a recent speech, Harris shared memories of his many years of calling games for his beloved Duke Blue Devils. He recalled the night Jack Givens poured in 41 points for Kentucky in a win over Duke in the 1978 national championship game. That was his first Final Four; he has called 12 more since then, that dozen under “the coach who will go down as the greatest college basketball coach of all-time, maybe the greatest basketball coach ever, at any level,” Mike Krzyzewski. In response to a question about what makes Coach K so successful, one of the many attributes that Harris mentioned was that Krzyzewski is the best time manager and the “best day extender” he knew. He said that Coach K seemed to turn a day into 28 hours, where most of us have only 24.
Along with all those very successful years calling Duke basketball games, Harris has a truly remarkable record of calling 459, and counting, consecutive football games entering the 2016 campaign. That's every game beginning with the season opener of 1976. Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, upon hearing the news of Harris' impending retirement, said, “Deservedly so, Bob is in the class of radio broadcasting icons, and we've been fortunate to have him in our booth. Congratulations to Bob on just an incredible tenure, a true Hall of Fame career, behind the microphone. When I think of Bob three words that immediately come to mind are passion, dedication, and consistency. Bob has given his heart and soul to Duke fans, coaches and student-athletes over the past four decades, and for that we are forever grateful. With all of that said, I am most proud to call him my friend.”
Harris told me that he fell in love with Duke University while growing up listening to Add Penfield on the radio. Penfield became Duke's first Voice of the Blue Devils in 1938, the year of the original Iron Dukes football team, and served in that capacity for a majority of the 38 seasons before Harris arrived. “Even before I ever saw Wallace Wade Stadium, I knew from his vivid descriptions on the radio what it looked like,” Harris said. “Add used phrases such as 'lengthening autumnal shadows spreading across the green grass of Duke Stadium' as he described a game in late autumn. If I had 25 percent of the command of the English language and his eloquence, I would have been a pretty good broadcaster myself.
“I always try to instill in young people that I talk to that in broadcasting, you need to paint a word picture for listeners. It can be compared to being an artist. A broadcaster's canvas is the airwaves, and your brush is your voice. Add Penfield was a master painter of word pictures.” He then added, “Add Penfield has been a beacon for all of us in the broadcast industry.”
Harris had the pleasure of working with Penfield when he served as the color man during the Duke football season of 1974 and the basketball season of 1974-75.
Harris also recalls working with Penfield in 1974 at the PGA Championship at Tanglewood Golf Course in Winston-Salem. Shortly after this event, Harris was shown a letter that Penfield had written to Harris' boss, unbeknownst to him. In it, Penfield praised Harris' work ethic and professionalism. “It just shows the kind of man Add Penfield was — willing to go out of his way to help a young man trying to break into the field,” Harris said. “I'll never forget that act of kindness, and I still have a copy of that letter.”
When Penfield was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, Harris gave the induction speech.
Harris has written a wonderful book called, How Sweet It Is! From The Cotton Mill to The Crow's Nest. The book is about his life and includes page after page of Duke basketball and football history, and also has over 100 pictures. Not only that, but the book comes with an 80-minute CD of highlights of calls Harris has made through the years, along with interviews he conducted with Red Skelton and Muhammad Ali, among many others. Even a UNC fan might enjoy reading about the many contests between Duke and UNC that Bob has been involved in over the last 40 years. The book can be ordered by going to the website, www.voiceofthebluedevils.com.
Wallace Wade, the famous former football coach of Alabama and Duke, spoke to the Durham Sports Club back around 1976 or 1977. Coach Wade, who was known to speak his mind, commented to the audience, not knowing that Harris was in attendance (or perhaps just saying what was on his mind no matter who was around), “I'm not too happy with that young announcer of our football games, he just gets too excited and carried away.” Dr. Lenox Baker, who had known Coach Wade as long as anybody had, spoke up in Harris' defense, saying, “Now Coach Wade, Bob is just getting started, he's young, and he'll get better.”
Well, to say the least, Bob Harris has gotten better with each and every year, and those years now total 40, with one more to go. Thousands of Duke fans across North Carolina and the nation associate his voice with Duke basketball and football. Many fans would rather listen to Harris describe the game to them on the radio than listen to the television announcers, turning off the TV volume and tuning in to the radio instead. He is a favorite among fans, and Duke athletes through the years have looked to this affable man as a father figure and friend.
John Roth has worked alongside Harris as Duke men's basketball analyst since 1999. “This may sound cliché or colloquial,” Roth noted, “but Bob truly is one of a kind, and his retirement marks the end of an era. For many Duke fans, he is the only radio voice they've ever known. I hope his retirement is as rewarding and fulfilling as the Duke athletics experiences he has enriched for so many of us.”
Harris is already the longest tenured play-by-play man in ACC history, and we all get to enjoy a master at his craft one more year. For that, along with all these many years we have been able to sit next to a radio and listen to his eloquent words, we are mighty lucky.
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