University Daily Kansan
Thursday, February 12, 1976
7
Tom Hedrick's voice inimitable
By KEN STONE
Associate Sports Editor
The radio voice of Tom Hedrick just goes and flows. Listen. The Voice of the Jayhaws picks up the action at a recent basketball game:
"Jump is controlled by Kansas. Norman Cook back to Mokeki. And down the line comes Milt Gibson, 11-28 to play in the half. Mil's in the right forecourt, looks for Big Mo. Bounce pass on the deck.
HEDRICK TALKS LIKE he says some players shoot: "like a whirling devilv."
"He gets it to Ken Koenings," Hedrick never pauses, "puts it up a-boat, too, off太 fat. Mokeki rebounds, follows, gets it! 'He's not six.'
HEDRICK ALKS LIKES he says some players play him. His play-by-play game description ceases only for stats, percentages, player profiles, time left in the half, score, analysis and a bit of opinion. You won't learn it by "duh," "ah" or "um." It's uncanny.
Hedrick away from the microphone is no different. The 41-year-old veteran sportscenter can turn on the enthusiasm he'd never cranked up, there's no stopping him.
WHEN ASKED WHAT he decided to return to Kansas (he had been Voice of the Jayhawks from 1980-1966), the sandy-haired announcer with a penchant for coining words and nicknames was off for the rages:
"I wanted to spend my life in a place where I wanted to live the rest of my life. And I've taken the posture that you can achieve it in a so-called non-bleg league market."
He continued without pause, "I've always liked the University of Kansas best. it gave me my start after I went to college like me in 1966). My wife went to school here. My
Staff photo by GEORGE MILLENER
Sportscaster Hedrick
daughter was born here. I just like the people the best. I like, the atmosphere."
STILL MORE HEDRICK: "I like the academic life; I like teaching class (radio broadcasting). I like doing music playing-play-behavior. I don't love it--I love it."
Hedrick must be sure of himself. He's tried about everything a sportscaster could try.
Hedrick has been a voice of the Kansas
City Chiefs, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Cincinnati Reds. He's announced three Super Bowls, scores of Texas Rangers baseball games, the NCAA basketball championships and ABC's Wide World of Sports.
AND SINCE JULY of last year, he's been back at KU, where he earned a master's degree in 1958. It's not hard to tell he's back.
"We all have certain expressions we we Hedrick said. I think that good. I tip my hat."
Who else could slip in "Incoln Continental," "the pressure Cooker" and "Big Norm"—three of his nicknames for Ms. Grace? (one more one of his pet expressions?)
"If you're going to say a guys's name, 1600 times during a basketball season and a thousand times during a football season . . . ," his voice trailed off in a short sigh. "I am going to create a sentence. "There is an entertainment quality involved in this," he said.
AN EXAMPLE OF that quality came in Hedrick's halftime interview with Chuck Neinas, Big Eight commissioner, last Saturday.
"Now Chuck," Hedrick began, "let ask you, leading-off-wise, a very important question. We've obviously got a great race. In your opinion, does anybody, schedule-wise, maybe have an advantage?"
Neinas' answer was unimportant. The question provided ample entertainment.
"My style is my style, and it's unacceptable." Hedwig said.
Who, responding-wise, could argue?
Scouts to skip if sales worsen
KANAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The president of the Kansas City Scouts said yesterday the National Hockey League club would not remain in Kansas City next season unless a drive to double season ticketholders to at least 8,000 was successful.
The seriousness of the Scout's financial situation was disclosed by Edwin Thompson, Scouts president, at a meeting called Tuesday to discuss the support of business and civil leaders.
Lawrence E. Smith of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission described the hockey team's plight as a double-edged emergency for the city. He said if the队 failed to get a broader base of financial support it would leave the city.
"The only way the Scouts can operate in Kansas City next year is a ticket drive with help from the business community to sell 8,000 hours of attendance hadn't come up to expectations."
If this happens, he said, the city will be in the perilous position of paying its debt obligations on the arena. The Scoots, an expansion franchise in its second year with the NHL, are the arena's principal tenant at $252,000 a year in rent and concessions.
REACH OUT AND TOUCH HER THE FTD FLORIST WAY
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