Jim Ellis has delivered the play-by-play descriptions of Mississippi State football since 2012 and has been part of the MSU broadcast team for more than 30years, but not even Ellis would dare call himself the “Voice of the Bulldogs.”
That title will always remain the exclusive domain of Jack Cristil, whose amazing 58-year run as the MSU football play-by-play announcer ended in 2011.
That voice is silent now. Cristil, 88, died Sunday in his adopted hometown of Tupelo.
His death marked the end of a three-year struggle with health problems which led him to step down from his broadcasting duties in 2011. Suffering first with kidney disease and later with cancer, Cristil maintained close ties with the university until the end.
During his remarkable career, Cristil called an astonishing 636 Bulldog football games. He also was the play-by-play voice of the MSU basketball program for 54 years. It is estimated that Cristil was at the microphone for more than 1,500 MSU athletic contests. He was there for every big win and demoralizing loss — and often there were more of the latter than the former — for close to six decades.
But longevity alone does not explain the affection generations of MSU fans, and admirers throughout the South, hold for Cristil.
Cristil was very much an “old school” broadcaster. In an age where broadcasters tend to thrive on hyperbole, consider themselves as part of the entertainment and are much inclined to wear their devotion to the “home team” on their sleeves, Cristil defied those temptations.
The raspy-voiced Cristil believed in the basics — he was the eyes and ears for fans who could not attend the game. Give them the score, the down-and-distance, the time remaining and give it to them often, he once said, because listeners are apt to tune in at any time and there is nothing more frustrating for a listener than to be kept “in the dark” on those key aspects of the game.
He was never fancy, just very good.
Cristil was also known for his objectivity. If the Bulldogs stunk it up, Cristil was never one to make excuses. And when the Bulldogs succeeded, his was the calm voice of a professional, who left the cheering for the fans.
In good times and bad, Cristil devoted himself to being a clear, uncompromising, reliable voice.
Generations of Bulldog fans loved him for it.
They love him still.
Although he was never one for gimmicky catch-phrases, there was one phrase that will also be immediately associated with Cristil.
In the closing moments of a game that MSU was certain to win, Cristil would say as the clock hit zero, “You can wrap this one in maroon and white!”
It seems like a fitting epithet today.
Jack Cristil has signed off.
It seems only fitting that we thank him for his long and cherished contributions.
Well done, Jack. And, yes, you can wrap it in maroon and white.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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