OUmillenium
4/21/2009, 08:30 AM
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/article.aspx?subjectid=92&articleid=20090418_93_B1_JohnBr409864
Union football hires ex-OU voice Brooks
by: BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Saturday, April 18, 2009
4/18/2009 3:17:32 AM
John Brooks, the former University of Oklahoma football and basketball radio voice, has agreed to become the new Union High School football play-by-play man.
Union broadcasts were carried for several seasons by KRMG am740, but Union rights recently were acquired by KYAL fm97.1 (the Tulsa Sports Animal). Brooks will do all regular-season and postseason games for the defending Class 6A state champion Redskins. His color analyst partner will be Kevin Ward, the KYAL sports director. Longtime Union sideline reporter Doc Blevins will continue in that role.
"If you're going to do high school football, you would want to do it at the highest level. You would want to be associated with a Union or a Jenks," said the 70-year-old Brooks, who did 13 seasons of Sooner football radio and 16 seasons of OU basketball.
Brooks, best known for his "Jiiiiiminy Christmas!!!!!" calls on big plays, and Ward are reunited. During the 1990-91 basketball season (Brooks' final season with the Sooners), Ward was the OU analyst.
"It has been 19 years since John's last football season at OU, and yet he is still remembered and talked about all the time," Ward said. "A couple of years ago, I approached John about doing play-by-play on our game of the week broadcast a broadcast involving various teams. He was not interested. But Union football is a different animal, no pun intended. When I talked to him about possibly doing Union, his interest was immediate.
"I think OU fans are going to flip out when they hear that John Brooks is doing Union play-by-play."
For 27 seasons, Brooks was the voice of the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team. In 1991, he did University of Tulsa radio. That season, the Golden Hurricane finished 10-2. Brooks did Northeastern State football radio in 2000-03.
On Wednesday nights during football season, Brooks will be involved in Union coach Kirk Fridrich's weekly show on KYAL.
"We've always had great broadcasts at Union, and we're really excited about John Brooks," Fridrich said. "He was great at OU and he did a great job when he was at TU. We love having John involved in Union football.
"Our parents, our players, our booster club they're all going to be excited."
Brooks and his wife Lisa, a University of Tulsa graduate, reside in Oklahoma City with their 12-year-old son Remington. Brooks recently has written a series of children's books. On Thursday, he was in Tulsa for his induction into the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
"Ever since I retired from the Blazers (in 2005), I realized I made a mistake," Brooks said on Friday. "I had been wanting to do something, but when Kevin called me, I was a little stunned. I was surprised that someone would want me for this.
"I think it's pretty good that John Madden announced his retirement (on Thursday), and today I am coming out of retirement. I've already done a little research on Union football. I've never been to a Union-Jenks game. It's just a different level of high school football. I'm told that Union-Jenks is just remarkable."
Wow, now I have to listen to the enemy's broadcast just to hear a nostalgic JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMINY Christmas!
Union football hires ex-OU voice Brooks
by: BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Saturday, April 18, 2009
4/18/2009 3:17:32 AM
John Brooks, the former University of Oklahoma football and basketball radio voice, has agreed to become the new Union High School football play-by-play man.
Union broadcasts were carried for several seasons by KRMG am740, but Union rights recently were acquired by KYAL fm97.1 (the Tulsa Sports Animal). Brooks will do all regular-season and postseason games for the defending Class 6A state champion Redskins. His color analyst partner will be Kevin Ward, the KYAL sports director. Longtime Union sideline reporter Doc Blevins will continue in that role.
"If you're going to do high school football, you would want to do it at the highest level. You would want to be associated with a Union or a Jenks," said the 70-year-old Brooks, who did 13 seasons of Sooner football radio and 16 seasons of OU basketball.
Brooks, best known for his "Jiiiiiminy Christmas!!!!!" calls on big plays, and Ward are reunited. During the 1990-91 basketball season (Brooks' final season with the Sooners), Ward was the OU analyst.
"It has been 19 years since John's last football season at OU, and yet he is still remembered and talked about all the time," Ward said. "A couple of years ago, I approached John about doing play-by-play on our game of the week broadcast a broadcast involving various teams. He was not interested. But Union football is a different animal, no pun intended. When I talked to him about possibly doing Union, his interest was immediate.
"I think OU fans are going to flip out when they hear that John Brooks is doing Union play-by-play."
For 27 seasons, Brooks was the voice of the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team. In 1991, he did University of Tulsa radio. That season, the Golden Hurricane finished 10-2. Brooks did Northeastern State football radio in 2000-03.
On Wednesday nights during football season, Brooks will be involved in Union coach Kirk Fridrich's weekly show on KYAL.
"We've always had great broadcasts at Union, and we're really excited about John Brooks," Fridrich said. "He was great at OU and he did a great job when he was at TU. We love having John involved in Union football.
"Our parents, our players, our booster club they're all going to be excited."
Brooks and his wife Lisa, a University of Tulsa graduate, reside in Oklahoma City with their 12-year-old son Remington. Brooks recently has written a series of children's books. On Thursday, he was in Tulsa for his induction into the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
"Ever since I retired from the Blazers (in 2005), I realized I made a mistake," Brooks said on Friday. "I had been wanting to do something, but when Kevin called me, I was a little stunned. I was surprised that someone would want me for this.
"I think it's pretty good that John Madden announced his retirement (on Thursday), and today I am coming out of retirement. I've already done a little research on Union football. I've never been to a Union-Jenks game. It's just a different level of high school football. I'm told that Union-Jenks is just remarkable."
Wow, now I have to listen to the enemy's broadcast just to hear a nostalgic JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMINY Christmas!