Gene was outstanding behind the "mic", and Ouzts was just elegant - if that could ever be said about a voice - a great credit to the "product" back then. He had a bearing that reminded me of the Yankee Stadium PA announcer, Bob Sheppard, "The voice of God" for 57 years.
Uhmm, no. You literally couldn't be more wrong. Gamecock basketball games on WIS in the glory years of Frank McGuire were the highest rated programming on the station and they routinely pre-empted NBC's most watched programming, WIS management gave those games credit for cable systems outside the Midlands in the Pee Dee, Charlotte area and the Augusta area picking up the station, greatly expanding its advertising sales. John Thorne who started the first cable system in the Myrtle Beach area where I grew up told me that the ability to see Gamecock basketball games on WIS was the single biggest factor in him getting off the ground in the 1960's and without it he probably would have gone broke
Chesley gave way to Jefferson-Pilot, and Jefferson-Pilot gave way to Raycom, I believe.
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According to USC media guides, WIS started televising all USC home basketball games in the 1967-68 season. They also carried the Chesley ACC network games when we were in the ACC.
WIS didn't start syndicating the games to other stations in South Carolina until we left the ACC. Back then there were no restrictions on cable systems picking up over the air stations from other markets and McGuire's teams were widely credited for WIS being on so many cable systems outside of the midlands.
It took a few years. it wasn't quite life and death anymore but still a huge deal. Plus, most of us, at least people I knew, believed we would get back in the ACC since they had dropped the 800 rule a year after we left. Even, in Coach McGuire's last season when we averaged like 6,500 people a game (they announced attendance on people in the seats not tickets sold back then) we still came close to selling out on season tickets. A lot of season ticket holders might only go to the Marquette, Notre Dame, Kentucky or clemson games but they still remembered what it had been like to get a ticket and thought we might get back to that some day and wanted to keep their priority.
It was like an inner tube with a slow leak after we got out of the ACC.
Yep. Perfect analogy. A little less every season. Then the 1975 team being pre-season top 5 and then flopping (although by today's standards it would've been a 7 or 8 seed in the Dance) and people buying into the idea that Carlen knew what he was doing accelerated things
I remember being at that Indiana game. Quinn Buckner was killing us in the first half, but that second half comeback shut him down. The Coliseum was so loud in that second half.
Yep! I remember Coach McGuire said after the game, "my God, what would we do without Kevin Joyce?" And the legend is that Bob Knight trashed his room at the Holiday Inn next door screaming about "f.....g Joyce!"
Yep. Can hear it like it was yesterday. I mentioned earlier in the thread that after all these years, when I watch a game, the soundtrack in my head is still Joe Petty and all his great catch phrases and terms delivered masterfully in that Boston accent.
man you missed a legend - distinctive voice from a man who absolutely knew how to call a football or basketball game on the radio - there will never be another Bob Fulton!!
Oh yeah they televised the ACC games, and it was some friggin intense stuff. They hated us, and we hated them because of that.; every game except clemmons was life and death. I tell you one thing, people talk now about planning their weekends around the football games; back then you planned your LIFE around those broadcasts and games. Football doesn't hold a candle to what basketball was when we were in the ACC those years.
I even remember some Clemson fans pulling for us.
It was Gene McKay…..and he also called some football games….he used to sat 3rd down a 3 centimeters…..
Their legendary radio play-by-play man then was Chuck Thompson and he was there for a long time - '62 - '83. He also moved over to do TV games for the O's and NFL TV work when the Colts were being shown on the old weekly telecasts. In the case of baseball, he sort of worked the way the Atlanta announcers worked when games were on TBS - a few innings on radio and a few on TV.
They use to be on Sunny 100.1 FM.
Yes, sir. I remember them both. And I met Joe Pinner one time. Golden Age of WIS-TV.
I've run into Rick Henry a couple of time, once at the Outback Bowl when we beat Ohio State the first time. This was the night before in Ybor City. I introduced myself and offered a handshake. His response was tepid at best. He's a cold fish. Next time I saw him, I did not engage because his manner was not inviting. I was sorry about his bout with cancer, however.
A cold fish is a good description. That's exactly how I would describe the time I saw him at the grocery store. Had a "don't bother me" look about him - and clearly there were several people there- me included- that recognized him. He had to sense that and just wasn't interested in being friendly. But again, I try not to make too many assumptions. He could have been having an awful day too. It wasn't like he was telling people to get lost. He wasn't doing that.
