1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 80

  
  Yesterday, Duke lost in the NCAA Tournament to South Carolina. But there was an even bigger loss to the Duke program as it was sportscaster Bob Harris' last stint as the play-by-play announcer.

    This was Mr. Harris' last season and though he got started in 1976 calling Duke football games on the radio, if you do the math, this season's 2016-2017 basketball season was #40! That means as long as I have been alive, nobody else has ever called a Duke football or basketball game for Duke Sports Radio. So of course, I've got to pay some tribute to the man known as the 'Voice of the Blue Devils.' 

     My mother was an NC State fan. My father loved UNC. Being an individual, I went my own way and choose Duke. In middle school and high school, I wanted to go to Duke so bad. I loved watching Laettner, Hurley, Davis, and the Hills (no relation) destroy the competition! Lead by the one and only Coach K, the Duke Blue Devils were back-to-back Final Four Champs! It was a great time to be a Duke fan.

     Back in the 90s, you didn't get to see every Duke game on TV like you can now. You only had ESPN, ABC, NBC, and CBS. So unless you got lucky and Duke was selected as the game of the week, the only way to regularly catch a Duke game was on the radio. So I spent many a day and night listening to Mr. Bob Harris call those Duke games on AM radio. 

      At the same time I was listening to Harris call the games on the radio, my future wife and future in-laws were doing the same as I and listening to the games being called by Bob. Janni was a Duke grad, an original Cameron Crazie, and she works for the Duke hospital system where she is the system's reigning Social Worker of the Year! 

   Though I never got to go to Duke, I now work there too in the University's dining system as a chef manager. So Duke's a very big deal in our home and Bob Harris' retirement is a very bittersweet thing.

Check on the video at 1:25 for the

Ultimate NCAA baskestball play of all-time.

    Before I go, let's look at the achievements of Bob Harris' career and the amazing things he had the privilege to call on the Duke Radio Network:

Member North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

3 time North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year

                                     Recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award, 2016

(North Carolina's highest civilian honor)

Called 456 consecutive Duke football games 

& 1,358+ Duke basketball games 

1 Duke Football Bowl Win (Pinstripe Bowl, 2015)

41 ACC men's basketball tournament games

16 ACC Championships

13 Final Four appearances

11 national championship games

and 5 NCAA Champion titles.

Best of Luck Bob- We'll miss you!