Friday, February 26, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section C · Page 5
5
Radio duo shoots life into games
By Chris Wristen
Kansan sportswriter
For longer than most Jayhawk fans can remember, they've heard the same familiar voices coming through their radios and bringing them the action of Kansas basketball games.
Falkenstein has been broadcasting for the Jayhawks for 53 years and Davis for 16 years. During that time, they have placed listeners right in the middle of the action, bringing listeners Kansas facts and providing listeners with a lifetime of memories.
Sports broadcasting has been in the Davis family for years, which helped him get his start.
"My dad had done some when I was a kid, and I had a cousin in radio. I had wanted to be in radio and had the interest in sports, so it was a matter of putting the two together," Davis said.
Before he announced Kansas games, Davis broadcast games at Fort Hays State for 16 years and was inducted into its sports hall of fame. Then he came to the University.
"I grew up in Kansas so it's pretty tough not to be interested in KU bass球场." Davis said.
He now serves as the play-by-play broadcaster and the host of Hawk Talk, the weekly radio call in show.
Falkenstien has been a Jayhawk since birth. His father was a business manager of athletics at the University. Max Falkenstien never intended to be a sportscaster, though.
"My getting into sports broadcasting was an accident more than anything else," Falkenstien said. "When I got back from the service, I was asked to cover a big NCAA playoff game. It was 1946. I wasn't sure how it would go, but figured I'd give it a shot."
The announcers have seen their share of great games and have had the opportunity to bring those games to life to listeners.
For Fallenstein, memorable games include the 1952 National Championship game and the 1968 quadruple-overtime victory against Kansas State.
They also have seen their share of great players.
"Wilt (Chamberlain) dominated the game like no other player ever has," Falkenstien said. "Danny Manning was the most skillful. He had the capacity to make all of the players on his team better."
Even though they see every game from the best seats in the house, there's a lot more to the job than meets the eye.
"I think that with a job like this you have to really love it," Davis said. "It sounds corny, but you literally have to because of the hours and the things that aren't typical of some jobs. It has to be your work and your play both. This is my job and my hobby."
Their presence with the basketball team has been noticed, and greatly appreciated, by the entire basketball program.
"They both truly care about the individuals involved and that is truly unique." men's coach Roy Williams said.
Each broadcaster has his own style, skillfully meshed together to form one of the most energetic and enjoyable broadcast tandems in college basketball.
"I've tried to make the game fun for the listener and offer insights to personalize the game — I try to give the fans' view of the game," Falkenstien said. "I don't think fans know all of the technical details, or want to know that much about it. They want to enjoy the game."
Davis agrees.
"I hope I've been able to report it and people have been able to enjoy the games and the players and the events themselves," Davis said. "I'm not the story, the team is and the game is. Hopefully I've been able to get that to the fans and the listeners without getting in the way of it."
They've had their share of fun along the way as well.
"I enjoy it. I particularly enjoy the association with the players and the coaches. I've developed such great friendships with the players from year to year." Falkenstein said.
Davis particularly enjoys some of the road trips.
"It's fun to go most anywhere in the conference," Davis said. "I'm starting to get used to the Texas schools now, but the old Big Eight schools are all fun to go because we know a lot of people."
The pair have enjoyed the work through the years.
Edited by Darrin Peschka
"It's been a great run," Falkenstien said. "It's just friendships and being part of the family that has made it fun."
Kansas ingrained in basketball's history
Continued from page 1C
defeated Oklahoma 83-79 in the NCAA finals for the Jayhawks' first national championship since 1952.
All true Kansas basketball fans have these memories; the first Jayhawk we pretended to be on the playground — whether it was Manning, Lynette Woodard, Mark Turgeon or maybe even Peka Mararkkanen for my generation, or Clyde Lovellette and Wilt Chamberlain for my parents' generation. Kansas basketball is a tradition that ties us all together and gives us a common heritage.
Since the creation of basketball, Kansas has played an integral part in the development of the sport. The first Kansas coach was none other than James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. So maybe he is the only coach at Kansas to have a losing record, but no other school can claim to have had the "father of basketball" as its original coach.
Naismith invented the game in 1889 in an effort to find a game that would occupy the time of Springfield College
students between football and baseball. Naismith came to Kansas in 1898 where he coached nine seasons and compiled a 55-60 record.
One of Naismith's successors has been called the "father of"
Erin Thompson
sports@kansan.com
rest "Phog" Allen coached the Jayhawks for 39 seasons, winning 590 games and losing 219, making him the winningest Kansas coach.
Follow the family tree of Division 's most successful coaches, and inevitably it leads back to Allen. Dean
Smith, who finished his career at North Carolina as the all-time winning coach in basketball history with 879 victories, played for Allen at Kansas. Second to Smith on the all-time victories list is Adolph Rupp, another of Allen's former players.
Between Smith's 36 years at North Carolina and Rupp's 41 years at Kentucky, the pair produced the majority of the currently successful coaches, including Rick Pitino of the Boston Celtics, Tubby Smith of Kentucky and Kansas' own Roy Williams.
The women's coaching tradition may not be as deep, but it is nonetheless stellar. Marian Washington has coached the women's team for all 26 years of its existence and will be only the 11th women's coach to reach 500 all-time wins.
The coaching tradition only is the tip of the iceberg called Kansas basketball. Where would we be without the players? Arguably the greatest men's player and the greatest women's play
ers donned the crimson and blue — Chamberlain and Woodard.
Chamberlain, who went on to dominate the NBA, played for the Jayhawks for two seasons, but fell short 54-53 in the 1957 national championship game to North Carolina.
Woodard merely was named a Kodak All-American all four years and remains the all-time career scorer with 3,649 points. But she too fell short in her quest for a national championship.
So what does the future hold for Kansas basketball? Maybe Williams and Washington will finally win national championships. Maybe the next Lynette Woodard is just now learning to walk. Perhaps, the next Danny Manning is picking up a basketball for the first time.
But whatever the future holds for Kansas basketball, my blood always will bleed crimson and blue.
Thompson is a Wichita senior in journalism.
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