Call ‘Em Like We See ‘Em: FPF’s Most Memorable Calls in the History of Sports

by Chief Etheridge & Paschal Brothers 

You remember where you were.

There are certain moments in time that you recall vividly, like it happened yesterday, and that you will remember for the rest of your life. The reasons you remember them vary – you experienced a sense of defeat, the feeling of victory washed over you like never before, what you witnessed was of flabbergasting delight – and the older you get, these memories never seem to fade. 

Next week should have been the beginning of The Masters in Augusta. The Masters has provided us with legendary moments filled with the most precise golf shots and crowds of raucous patrons. Whether you were there in person, watching on your television, or even listening on the radio, there is a good chance you have been lucky enough to see one or some of the memorable shots from the Masters: Tiger’s shot on 16, Bubba’s hook shot in the playoffs, Phil jumping for joy on 18, the Bear making his improbable run in ’86. 

Behind every one of these moments is a broadcaster, and the person making the call might actually be the reason you remember a moment in Masters history, or in some other sport’s history. The broadcaster has words in times of speechlessness, commentary that breathes new life into the commonplace, and emotions that erupt from the screen or through the radio waves and force you to realize the magnitude of the moment in the blink of an eye. 

As we find different ways to keep ourselves busy in these strange times, the Paschal brothers and I recently got to talking about the most memorable calls throughout the history of sports. Mind you, we all haven’t had the privilege to witness or hear these calls, we weren’t even alive for some. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t heard the tales about them from our friends, families, or some diehard fan at a bar. 

Some are personal favorites; others are iconic and forever etched in the history books. But one thing is for sure – when these moments happened, you know where you were. 

In Your Life

Chief: Augusta National in April of 2005, a fitting place to start. At this point in 2005, Tiger Woods was at the start of what would end up being an unbelievable year: Six PGA Tour wins (including the Masters and The Open Championship), 13 Top Ten finishes; of his 21 PGA Tour starts he made 19 cuts; won the PGA Tour Player of the Year; and was the PGA Tour leading money winner. This shot was only the beginning of a historic season and the scene at the 16^th hole is replayed or referenced at least once during coverage of the tournament and for good reason.

Verne Lundquist had the privilege of calling this iconic moment. He perfectly described it as patrons erupted out of their seats like someone had just hit the eject button in the cockpit of a fighter jet. Lundquist waits with bated breath as the ball rests on the edge of the hole. As it reluctantly falls he exclaims, “Oh wow!”, just as any of us would, and did, in the moment. To react as though you are a spectator is an incredible connection point for a broadcaster. It helps those of us in the crowd searching for the right words to describe the moment to feel as though our emotions are being reflected and shared on a bigger stage. 

Lundquist encapsulates the shot by asking “In your life have you seen anything like that?”, which pretty much sums up exactly what Tiger’s dynasty up to that point was like – no matter how old you were or how much golf you had witnessed in your lifetime, there was no way you had seen anything like the splendor of Tiger Woods in his zone. 

Oh, my Lord in Heaven

Chief: The state of Alabama is right at the heart of America’s Bible Belt. So, when it comes to the man behind the Kick Six call, Alabama native, Rod Bramblett, you can count on God being referenced. 

There are a few commentators who had the opportunity to bear witness to the Kick Six and each one has his or her unique reaction to the unimaginable field goal attempt return on that cool November night in 2013. But what makes Bramblett’s call even more special was his personal connection to the team and the moment – Bramblett was an Auburn alumnus who had been the school’s football announcer for 10 years at that point. Few things in the world could bring greater joy to this man than seeing Auburn take down Alabama. 

For most of the game, that joy was just out of reach. With the lead being exchanged back and forth for the entire night, Tiger fans were praying for a way to win. Luckily, the answer to that prayer was Chris Davis, Jr. As Bramblett and his colleague, Stan White, watched Davis navigate his way along the sideline for 100 yards and into the end zone, “holy cows,” “oh my Gods,”, and “miracles,” were a few of the ways they chose to excitedly describe the moment, emblematic of the religious state they lived in and the religious sport they were watching. Their prayers had been answered in the most unlikely way, and on that night, Jordan-Hare Stadium was Heaven on Earth. 

For more about the life of Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula, click here. 

Yeah, he did. 

Chief: I’m a Duke fan. I’m also a fan of the Duke guys that everyone in the world hates (Grayson Allen, J.J. Reddick, Gerald Henderson, the list goes on). Had I been alive in 1992, I would’ve been a Christian Laettner fan. 

You are probably aware of Christian Laettner’s shot back in 1992 against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. It was a mixture of talent, timing, and luck, and it’s so well known that it is simply known as “The Shot”. While the call of “The Shot” is great, and voiced, again, by our friend Verne Lundquist, the part of the broadcast that is the best, and to me the funniest, is during another infamous moment in the game when Laettner stepped on the chest of Aminu Timberlake.

As Lundquist and his co-announcer, Len Elmore, discuss the technical foul that was assessed to Laettner, CBS shows the replay and Elmore posits, “I don’t know if he did it on purpose or not”. Without missing a beat, Lundquist swiftly answers with, “Yeah, he did”, in the most serious and matter of fact tone. This moment made me laugh because Lundquist knew there was no other option and seems almost surprised that Elmore would even ask such a question. It’s with these three words that Lundquist was yet again the voice of a nation – everyone hates Christian Laettner, of course he would do something like that, and you cannot convince me otherwise. I still love Verne Lundquist. 

(For the “The Shot” go to 1:38:21)

Be Still My Hoof Heart

Chief: You’ve heard of Secretariat, American Pharaoh, and Seabiscuit. Today, I present you with Hoof Hearted. 

From a small track in the middle of who knows where, a call made by a guy I have probably never heard of, and by a jockey whose name I do not know, the tale (or tail) of Hoof Hearted was born. I could tell you listening to Chic Anderson describe Secretariat as a “tremendous machine” winning by 31 lengths at Belmont in 1973 gets the adrenaline rushing, but it honestly doesn’t hold a candle to Hoof Hearted’s comeback win from the outside back in the day. What you will witness in Hoof Hearted’s victory on this special day is a work of art. 

If you’re one of the people who is reading this before watching the video, you may look at the name Hoof Hearted and think, what’s so special about that? That’s just a random name from a random owner, why should I care about this horse? 

What I’ll tell you is this – listen closely to the announcer at this racetrack, for he is the maestro of this beautiful equestrian orchestra. Obviously, in that moment he was not listening as closely as you are now. And while we hear “Hoof Hearted! Hoof Hearted on the outside, it’s close!”, all he heard was “Win, baby, win”. 

Who Cares!

Brendan: The year is 2012. In a time before “targeting” was ever a thing in College Football. A time where defensive backs like DJ Swearinger brought shivers up and down receiver’s spines. In their opening drive of the second half, Arkansas begins with a toss sweep to running back Nate Holmes on their own 25-yard-line. The halfback dances his way ahead for five yards before Swearinger chases him down from behind. Swearinger inadvertently (or intentionally, you never know with DBs) grabs Holmes by the back of his shoulder pads and gets flagged for a 15-yard, horse-tackle penalty.

With a fresh set of downs, ball on the 45, and some momentum on their side, the Razorbacks decide to throw the ball out of an empty backfield. Quarterback Tyler Wilson quickly releases the ball to his teammate and slot receiver, Javontee Herndon, on a shallow crossing route. As soon as Herndon touches the ball he is met with a vicious blow by Swearinger, who proceeds to receive another 15-yard penalty for helmet to helmet contact. Prior to the second flag, play-by-play and color commentators, Todd Ellis and Tommy Suggs, were calling the game with poise and elegance. However, from that point on the gloves were off.

Upon further review by announcers and fans alike, it was clear that the tackle was a clean shoulder pad to shoulder pad hit. Remember this is 2012, a simpler time, some might say a better time, and there is no such thing as targeting.

The ball is now on South Carolina’s 37-yard-line; the crowd is still booing, Ellis is on the verge of tears, and the only person that seems unphased is the man who has caused it all.

Due to their recent success, Arkansas decides to go with an empty backfield again. Wilson drops back, glances to his left before zeroing in on Cobi Hamilton to his right. He unleashes the ball with full force. But Wilson miscalculated; he threw the ball too early, a touch too far, and straight into the arms of Swearinger himself! The ball is picked off and now Swearinger is racing across the territory the referees had just handed his opponents. He would not be denied his six points. Of course, Swearinger chucks the football into the student section immediately after crossing the goal-line, which earned him yet another 15-yard penalty (his third in a row).

Ellis calls it all, but casually mentions a flag, which worries fans due to the previous two calls. Suggs begins to assure them that the penalty will not affect the touchdown, and the flag was thrown after Swearinger launched the football. Immediately after the explanation, Ellis shouts “WHO CARES!!”

Mitchell

Brendan: I used a majority of my words for the call above. Therefore, I’m adding Joe Buck’s “Mitchell” in because, like this description, Buck uses as few words as possible.

Michigan vs App State 2007

Brendan: The biggest upset in college football history. An FCS team vs the fifth best team in America. This game changed everything for Appalachian State. In 2014 they made the jump from FCS to FBS, and didn’t miss a beat. They went from dominating the Southern Conference to dominating the Sun Belt. It is hard to go up a level in every aspect of athletics – financially, physically, athletically – and almost every school struggles in the early years. But not App. They continued their tradition of success. That being said, I don’t think Michigan has yet to fully recover from this upset. Sure, they’ve had some solid seasons, but never anywhere close to the proud Big Blue they once were.

You can feel the cataclysmic shift of power as the play progresses. Since App State tried to run it back for a touchdown gave us the necessary time to digest and comprehend what had just occurred. Appalachian State upset Michigan.

Send it in Jerome!

Brendan: Bill Raftery has had a tremendous impact on my life. Mostly because Chris and I would relentlessly play each other on NCAA’s March Madness ’10, and always chose the alternate CBS Broadcasting with Gus Johnson and the legend, Bill Raftery. Now, almost 24 years of age, I continue to quote Rafterty during any college basketball game I ever watch. Occasionally you’ll hear me yell “ONIONS” or “MAN-TO-MAN”, and my mother will assume I’m having a stroke or something. But the O.G.’s, like our sister Caroline, know I’m quoting the legendary William Joseph Raftery.

Here is one of his most iconic calls ever.

The Band Is Out On The Field

Chris: This may be cheap because this call, along with Al Michael’s “Do You Believe In Miracles? Yes!” call, are obvious choices. But what I love so much about this call is not so much the craziness (even though that is a major factor), but the sense of despair in longtime Cal Play-by-Play announcer, Joe Starkey’s voice as the play begins. It starts with him bluntly calling for Cal to get out of bounds. When he realizes that is no longer an option as the play-clock expires, he states, “they’re still in deep trouble.” But with each lateral his voice gets more hopeful until he is euphorically screaming “THE BEARS! THE BEARS HAVE WON!”… it truly was “the most amazing, the most sensational, dramatic, heart-rending, exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football.”

Rebound Carolina

Chris: If Chief gets to throw in a Duke clip, I’m throwing in a North Carolina beating Duke moment. Growing up, I was a huge UNC sports fan. No bigger moment in my young life than when Marvin Williams played Superman in the waning seconds of the 2005 UNC-Duke game. Legendary play-by-play announcer, Woody Durham, has a better call, but I was watching the game on TV, and since my dad was at the game, I was too young and impatient to sync the TV to the radio broadcast. When I hear Jim Nantz say “and the rebound Carolina” I still get chills. (The last minutes are included to show just how great of a comeback UNC had, but the real magic happens at 3:38).

The Ball is Free!

Chris: Sean McDonough is one of my favorite broadcasters of all time. He’s clear, he’s passionate, and he always seems to be at the right place at the right time for some unbelievable finishes. In fact, I call it the Sean McDonough Rule. If you are flipping through some games, and you hear Sean’s voice, stay where you are because it’s liable to get wild. The ending of the Michigan-Michigan State game in 2015 was no different.

The Giants Win the Pennant

Chris: My grandfather, a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan, is probably rolling in his grave right now. But it is one of the most iconic calls in sports history. Not only is it iconic, but it is highly improbable. On October 3, 1951, Giants radio broadcaster, Russ Hodges, called “The Shot Heard Round the World” as the New York Giants rallied from behind and beat the Dodgers on a walk-off, three-run homer off the bat of Bobby Thompson. In Brooklyn, a Giants fan, in the heart of enemy country, recorded on tape Russ Hodges’s call instead of the Dodger broadcast of Red Barber. It is the only known recording of the call. In an interview later, Red Barber said that Hodges was an “out and out rooter. He just started hollering, ‘The Giants win the pennant!’ I think he said it seven or eight times. I don’t think that’s reporting.” That may be true, Red… but this call has stood the test of time. And rightfully so.

“Sports are predicated on a commitment to something larger than ourselves, whether a striving team, a civic identity, or the simple magic of shared experience.” –Rob Mahoney, The Ringer

Featured in Forbes, Chief was born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. A proud Wofford graduate, Chief currently lives in Washington, D.C and is pursuing a master’s degree at George Washington University and working for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A fan of all things sports, from darts to driving, he appreciates the simple magic of shared experience that sports can bring to people’s lives.