Today, Brian Jeffries was inducted into the Arizona Broadcasters HOF. I deserved honor for a tremendous talent. My congratulations are extended to you, The Voice of the Wildcats.
To be honored by peers is arguably the most humbling of gestures. For colleagues to acknowledge your talents, contributions, and efforts is about as good as it gets and Brian Jeffries is about as good as it gets.
And I won’t venture to know him personally. I’m no peer or colleague of his although when I was living in Tucson I was radio terror. I won drive time commuter contest awards including, but not limited to: tickets to The Shins, two pairs of Suns tickets, Wildcat basketball tickets, two pairs of nominal concert tickets, a book about the movie Juno, four tickets to the Tucson Children’s Museum, a massage, and more. Additionally, as a therapeutic release, I’d call Jody Oehler’s sports radio show.
Shoot, I’ve digressed.
Hall of Fame honors are flattering, no doubt, and Jeffires is every bit deserving. He’s broadcast Wildcat football, basketball, and baseball games since 1986, gracefully and artfully depicting more than 2500 Wildcat games. Thrice he’s called, “The Arizona Wildcats are National Champions.” Never – unfortunately – has he announced, “And the Wildcats are headed to the Rose Bowl.”
I’ll forever appreciate his patience with Lute’s “umms” and how impressed I always am with his delivery of the post game stats. I can’t hear his voice without getting shivers down my spine in anticipation of the next play.
He’s an eternal attachment to Arizona sports and I appreciate that.
I also appreciate this, from the press release issued by the ABA:
Yes, donkey basketball which you can watch here:
So, Brian Jeffries, congratulations and thank you for always going to and letting me know what the ‘Cats looked like on their trips to Pullman or Corvallis when Fox Sports wouldn’t. Thanks for the many calls and the many more to come.
And if you (reader now) aren’t familiar, here’s a tribute you can watch which is un-embedable by YouTube user request.