Keith Jackson, the signature voice of college football for five decades on ABC and ESPN punctuated with his folksy Georgia twang despite having lived most of his professional broadcasting life in the San Fernando Valley, died Friday night at the age of 89, the network confirmed.
No cause of death was given.
Jackson and wife of 63 years, Turi Ann, had a second home in Pender Harbor, British Columbia but spent most of their time in Sherman Oaks and were there through his retirement in 2006, which came after he did the USC-Texas national championship game at the Rose Bowl, the last of his 15 games at the stadium in Pasadena.
‘4th and 5’ — Keith Jackson’s final call
(via trivinity/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/7bgGJrdkao
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 13, 2018
“If it’s the end, then it’s the end,” Jackson said after that game in the ABC broadcast compound outside the Rose Bowl. “But I really don’t know, and if I did, I’d tell you. But this would be a pretty good game to go out on. All I know is that I’ll go home, have a nice bowl of soup, sleep in tomorrow and if the weather’s good, maybe play some golf.”
The Rose Bowl broadcast center is named in his honor, and one of his last public appearances on TV was an interview with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit during the 2017 Rose Bowl between USC and Penn State.
“For generations of fans, Keith Jackson was college football,” said Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC. “When you heard his voice, you knew it was a big game. Keith was a true gentleman and memorable presence. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Turi Ann, and his family.”
Despite many versions of the story, Jackson says his famous catch phrase, “Whoa, Nellie,” came from his great grandfather.
“He was a farmer, he was a whistler. One of these guys, he was always working, always busy. … And then he would do something — drop something or whatever — and often times, you’d hear him say, ‘Whoa, Nellie! Whoaaaaa, Nellie!’ That kind of stuff, and it kind of stuck to the little scruffy kid following him around.”
Jackson also doubts he used it more than once or twice in a broadcast, but it was made more famous by those impersonating him.
Jackson was also the first play-by-play voice of “Monday Night Football,” with Howard Cosell and Don Meredith in 1970. He was replaced the next year by Frank Gifford.
Jackson also covered 10 Olympics, auto racing, the NBA and multiple World Series in the 1970s, several of them involving the Dodgers, in addition to an array of events with “Wide World of Sports.”
Doing the Rose Bowl game for years, primarily with Bob Griese and Dan Fouts, Jackson is credited with dubbing the game, “The Granddaddy of Them All,” a nickname that still resonates. ABC’s top college play-by-play man from 1966 to 2005, Jackson’s broadcast partners on college football included Jackie Jensen, Lee Grosscup, Bud Wilkinson, Ara Parseghian, Frank Broyles, Lynn Swann and Tim Brant.
Jackson was born October 28, 1928, and raised on a farm near the Georgia-Alabama state line, riding a horse to school and intrigued by sports broadcasts on radio. An only child and raised in humble circumstances, he served four years in the U.S. Marines, including time in China. He attended Washington State College with the intent to study police and political science, but graduated in 1954 with a degree in broadcast journalism, learning his trade in the same studios that produced Edward R. Murrow, among others in the broadcast industry.
As an undergraduate in 1952, Jackson broadcast his first college football game — Stanford at Washington State. WSU lost 14-13 when the Cougar holder fumbled the snap for the extra point.
After graduating, Jackson spent 10 years at ABC affiliate KOMO in Seattle in news, sports and production, at first in radio and then television, including a time as the news co-anchor. In 1958, he did the first live sports broadcast from the Soviet Union to the U.S., a crew race between the University of Washington and a Soviet team.
In 1964, he moved to ABC Radio West as sports director and continued freelance work with ABC Sports before becoming full-time in 1966. He also worked as a radio news correspondent during those years. He covered the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco, and in 1965 he worked a baseball telecast with Jackie Robinson in the afternoon and covered the Watts riots that same night in Los Angeles.
Jackson’s work on ABC’s Wide World of Sports took him to 31 countries and included 10 Olympics, including covering two of the greatest gold medal winners in the history of the Olympic Games. In 1972 Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in swimming, and in 1980 Eric Heiden won five individual gold medals in speedskating.
Jackson tried to retire twice, at the end of contracts following the 1986 and 1998 seasons. Shortly thereafter, he decided to continue on a reduced basis that cut back on his travel.
Among the honors bestowed upon Jackson: In 1999, he was irst broadcaster to be awarded the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Gold Medal, as well as inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and The Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University awarded him the Murrow Award for top leaders in the communication industry. He was included in the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the national Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
In 2013, the Southern California News Group named Jackson No. 1 on the list of Top 10 Rose Bowl personalities.
Funeral services are pending.
Among the tributes posted on social media on Saturday morning:
Just heard the news that everyone’s favorite CFB broadcaster Keith Jackson passed away last night. Can close my eyes and think of so many of his special calls. Thank you Keith for all the memories and the grace in which you provided them. RIP Keith. 🙏🏼 #GOAT
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) January 13, 2018
“Goodbye … hello, Heisman.” The late Keith Jackson made @DesmondHoward‘s punt return even more iconic with this storied call. pic.twitter.com/Jo99qJnH7M
— ESPN (@espn) January 13, 2018
Incredibly saddened to hear the loss of a broadcasting legend, the voice of college football across the Country, and WSU Cougar great, Keith Jackson. His impact will live on forever. #RIP #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/iROnEOWOcZ
— WSU Cougar Football (@wsucougfb) January 13, 2018
We mourn the passing of legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson, the voice of many iconic moments. pic.twitter.com/QscxEHCi93
— MLB (@MLB) January 13, 2018
#FightOnForever, Keith Jackson.
The iconic voice of college football and the Rose Bowl is gone, but his signature sound will echo in our memories. pic.twitter.com/yJB1zieTlo
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) January 13, 2018
Keith Jackson was the voice of college football. Rest In Peace my friend 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/2YcAaRKoan
— Marcus Allen (@MarcusAllenHOF) January 13, 2018
Had the pleasure of being a part of a few Keith Jackson games. An icon and legend. RIP to the goat!
— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) January 13, 2018
Having a hard time finding the right words to express what the icon Keith Jackson meant to me personally, Michigan football and CFB, in general. May his family find some comfort in knowing how much joy he brought us for so many years and that his legacy endures. #RIP #Legend pic.twitter.com/Q5CWRp9gmp
— Desmond Howard (@DesmondHoward) January 13, 2018
RIP Keith Jackson — one of college football’s most iconic voices.
Here’s Keith describing Peyton Manning’s collegiate debut at UCLA in 1994. pic.twitter.com/VvYXb8N1gO
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) January 13, 2018
For the young broadcasters who didn’t get to know Keith Jackson. Here’s an outstanding quote from Jackson himself from 1975 when asked what a fan should remember about a game that he called. His response? Hope you didn’t remember me! pic.twitter.com/CmdeSp5cJt
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 13, 2018