House Concurrent Resolution 91

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE REMARKABLE SERVICE OF JACK CRISTIL UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT FROM MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY AS RADIO ANNOUNCER FOR THE MAROON AND WHITE AFTER 58 YEARS OF ICONIC SERVICE.

WHEREAS, Jack Cristil, the longtime radio voice of Mississippi State University Bulldog mens basketball and football who has been a constant presence for better than half a century, officially announced his retirement on February 23, 2011, after 58 years behind the microphone; and

WHEREAS, born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Latvian and Russian immigrants, Cristil listened to radio stations from Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Chicago at a young age and knew then that he wanted to be a radio broadcaster; and

WHEREAS, after he finished high school in Memphis in 1943, Mr. Cristil served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, before setting out to begin his broadcasting career by studying broadcast journalism at the University of Minnesota in 1947 and 1948 before he returned home to Memphis; and

WHEREAS, upon his return home, Jack began his radio play-by-play career calling minor league baseball in various places such as Jackson, Tennessee, Anniston, Alabama, and Memphis, Tennessee, before moving to Clarksdale, Mississippi, to call Clarksdale High School football games on WROX; and

WHEREAS, Cristil submitted an audition tape to then Mississippi State University athletic director, the legendary C.R. "Dudy" Noble in August 1953, and in September 1953, he began his duties making play-by-play calls for Bulldogs football, his first play-by-play being a 34-6 Mississippi State win over the University of Memphis; and

WHEREAS, in years past, if you closed your eyes and listened carefully, you could have heard a little bit of Jack Cristil all across the Magnolia State each fall, and it comes as no surprise that there are imitators across the radio dial, calling high school football games from Aberdeen to Yazoo City; and

WHEREAS, over his 58-year tenure, Jack called 636 football games, roughly 63% of all football games played by Mississippi State, and 1,538 basketball games, roughly 55% of all basketball games played by Mississippi State; and

WHEREAS, through ten football coaches, nine university presidents and eight athletic directors, there has been exactly one voice calling the fortunes and failures of Bulldogs' football, Jack Cristil, who was initially hired for $25.00 per game; and

WHEREAS, no one could have imagined how long Cristil would hold on to his role as the "Voice of the Bulldogs" between football and mens basketball, which he started broadcasting in 1957; and

WHEREAS, an icon and staple in the field, many newcomers have tried to copy Cristil's simple, even cadence that clearly describes the action and leaves the hyperbole behind; and

WHEREAS, for his skill and longevity, Cristil has many honors and awards to his name including an honorary doctoral degree in creative and performing arts, having been named Mississippi Sportscaster of the Year a record 21 times, Southeastern Conference Broadcaster of the Year in 1988, the only individual inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame who was neither a coach nor an athlete, a recipient of the Ronald Reagan Lifetime Achievement Award and the 1997 Chris Schenkel Award by the College Football Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize and commend the career of such a remarkable individual as Jack Cristil, who is a legend in his own right, whose distinctive voice has permeated the radio airwaves signifying Mississippi State University athletics, even without taking notice of the dial and who always "Wraps it up in maroon and white.":

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the remarkable service of Jack Cristil upon the occasion of his retirement from Mississippi State University as radio announcer for the maroon and white after 58 years of iconic service and extend sincere wishes and bountiful blessings for a joyous and relaxing retirement for many years to come.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mr. Cristil, to Mississippi State University Athletic Director Scott Stricklin and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.