In general, when a sports figure announces his or her retirement, the news is respectfully noted and then filed away. Sometimes, however, such an announcement marks the end of an era. Such was the case when John Ward, the legendary “Voice of the Vols,” made public his decision to unplug his microphone following the 1998-1999 season. Ward started broadcasting University of Tennessee basketball games in 1964 and UT football games in 1968. Remarkably, he never missed a football game, creating a string of over 350 consecutive broadcasts. A UT alumnus himself, Ward was famous for his trademark lines “It’s Football Time in Tennessee” (which he said at the start of each game), and “Give Him Six!” (which he said when UT scored a touchdown). Ward’s career has not been without its fair share of awards and distinctions. Among others, he was named the Lindsey Nelson Collegiate Broadcaster of the Year in 1998 (a fitting tribute, considering Nelson was also a UT alum). He was also recipient of the Sportscaster of the Year Award in Tennessee an astounding twenty-seven times. Perhaps “Tennessean” columnist David Climer summed it up best when he wrote, “John Ward is Tennessee football. To an entire generation of UT fans, there has never been another voice worth listening to.” As of 2016, Ward still does some commercial radio advertisements and public service announcements heard statewide.
