What are your favorite John Ward calls of all time?

#103
#103
General_Neyland said:
"Willie Gault is running allllll theeee wayyyy to the State Capital"...
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Well, that's certainly one of my favorites too. Ward always knew what to say and when to say it. Describing Gault going all the way on a kick off return at Vandy as running to the state capital is priceless! Ward made great plays even greater with his timely calls.
 
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#104
#104
Late to this thread but IMHO, John Ward did his best work at basketball games, and his absolute best call was at Kentucky in 76' when Bernard King hit a 10 footer falling down to send the game into OT. UT won the game as part of a 5 game streak 90-88. I'd give anything to hear that one more time.

For those that never got to hear him call a bball game here is a priceless piece of history on the tartan from the 74-75 season, another epic win vs. KYJelly. "SWISH!"

2-15-75 Tennessee vs Kentucky (Basketball) - YouTube
 
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#109
#109
Since John's first love was basketball, I'll submit this: Dale Ellis with a two handed stufferino over Sam Bowie and the cats... want... to talk about it!!!
 
#110
#110
46yrvol said:
Since John's first love was basketball, I'll submit this: Dale Ellis with a two handed stufferino over Sam Bowie and the cats... want... to talk about it!!!
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I know one thing. I got sick of hearing about Sam Bowie every five minutes back in the day. Joe Dean was on his jock 24/7.
 
#112
#112
The greatest announcer ever! I still get chills down my spine every time I hear him say, "It's football time in Tennessee." I haven't lived in Knoxville for 34 years, but still get homesick every time I hear him say that phrase.

Greatest single call I remember of his was the Johnnie Jones 66-yard run against Alabama in 1983.

Tennessee - John Ward (1983 Original Vol Network Audio) Tenn vs. Alabama - YouTube
 
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#115
#115
ftsandersvol said:
The greatest announcer ever! I still get chills down my spine every time I hear him say, "It's football time in Tennessee." I haven't lived in Knoxville for 34 years, but still get homesick every time I hear him say that phrase.
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Post #69 to this thread. :hi:
 
#116
#116
Volview said:
This is a common call I miss..."He's at the 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE!" Meanwhile, the player was in the end zone the whole time, but it made great radio.
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A lot of times he was checking for penalty flags before he "gave him 6!"

The greatness of John Ward was not only in the iconic calls of the big plays but in the descriptions he gave that allowed folks across the state to "see" what was going on. Things like:

--"....as the Volunteers barrel onto the greensward of Shield Watkins field....."
--"....the Vols serpentine from the huddle to the line..."
--"...Amsler twists, turns and drives the ball down to the 5 yard line."
--"another stirring rendition of the National Anthem by the incomparable George Bitzas..."
--"...the ball is placed equidistance from the side boundaries."
--After a run, he gave the yardage gained on the play, how many yards the back had on the day, and where the ball was set down for the next play.
--He regularly gave the score and time on the clock
--In basketball, after each basket, he'd give the score and how many points the scoring player had in the game. Plus, he described where the shot was taken from and the actions of the player in taking the shot.
--In many instances if he disagreed with the call(basketball), he'd give the name of the ref and where he was from.
--Plus, John just flat out loved Tennessee, the University and the Volunteers. He was one of us.
 
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#119
#119
Reading and posting in the Bob Kesling thread made me go through this thread again and remember some of Ward's best calls.

"Willie Gault, ladies and gentlemen, is running all the way to the state capital."
 
#121
#121
Perfect time to encourage anyone who loves John Ward to download and listen to the podcast “A Host of Volunteers”.....Ton of John Ward calls from the early 70s, mid 70s and the 1985 Sugar Vols season. He was so good it was unbelievable.
 
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#122
#122
tn4elvis said:
My favorite too.Roaring up the sideline.
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“And Powell just came ROARING down the greensward!!!.....”
edit: if you wanna hear this call, go to the “A Host of Volunteers”....3rd episode. It’s all about Jeff Powell and the ‘85 Sugar Vols. It’s actually entitled “Jeff Powell: Roaring Down the Greensward!”
 
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