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Ohio State remembers long-time PA voice Bob Kennedy, who passed away at 59
By Keith Farner
Published:
Ohio State is remembering long-time public address announcer Bob Kennedy, who died on Sunday. He was 59.
The Buckeyes announced on Sunday after he was the voice of the Buckeyes for the past 23 years.
Kennedy was scheduled to announce the Ohio State baseball game Sunday afternoon against Illinois. When he didn’t arrive at the stadium, Ohio State officials contacted local authorities to do a wellness check and they later learned that he died at his home.
“Bob had a big heart and he loved his Buckeyes,” Jerry Emig, Associate AD for Communications, said in a statement. “And, he loved his PA jobs. He was a true professional at his craft and a friend to us all. He knew our coaches and student-athletes and he certainly knew the histories well of many Ohio State sports, and he loved to talk about them.”
Kennedy is most recognized as the PA voice of the football Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium, something he did for the past 20 years. He also handled similar responsibilities at Ohio State baseball, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey and women’s hockey games, and he filled-in for men’s basketball games.
He was the athletics PA announcer for his alma mater, Otterbein University, where he graduated from in 1987, and the Columbus Clippers, as well. He worked for many years in radio, including at WDLR in Delaware, Ohio.
In a tribute feature on Kennedy by Columbus TV WSYX’s Bob Kendrick last fall, Kennedy said “My voice has always carried, from the day I was born. I mean, you could probably hear me in New Albany and Hilliard without using a microphone.”
Keith Farner has written about college football for newspapers and web sites since 2005.