Early Sunday morning, education junior Eric Harp heard the news: legendary OU broadcaster Bob Barry Sr. had died.
Harp and his older brother Michael have been fans of OU football since the team won the 2000 national championship. Michael graduated from OU in December with a degree in music education and now is the band director at McCloud High School.
Eric said his earliest recollection of Barry is from the early 2000s. When his family couldn’t get to the stadium for games, they’d drive around in their turquoise Mercury Cougar and listen as the “Voice of the Sooners” called the game.
“I would listen as [Barry] would say, ‘Touchdown Oklahoma!’” Eric said. “When you hear his voice, you know that’s Bob Barry Sr.”
Eric has played trumpet in the Pride of Oklahoma marching band since 2009. He was a part of the marching band when it stood together at halftime in a formation, expressing its affinity for the longtime play-by-play announcer at the last home football game of Barry’s career in 2010.
The formation read, “Thanks Bob.” The No. 19 Sooners finished the game with a 45-7 victory over Texas Tech, and 85,116 fans saw Barry off that day.
Affinity for Barry
Those who knew him in Norman spoke highly of him and regretted his passing. Some will pay their respects at his funeral.
Others couldn’t wait that long.
“Very sad, thoughts and prayers are with the family,” former OU quarterback Paul Thompson tweeted Sunday.
Former OU men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel was another person who was quick to let the public know how he felt about Barry.
“Saddened and shocked about the awful news about my friend, Bob Barry, Sr.,” Capel posted on Twitter. “Words can’t explain the hurt I feel. He was just like my grandpa!”
Barry had been named Oklahoma Sportscaster of the Year, and he had been inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He had been in the field for more than 50 years when he announced his retirement in August 2010.
“I’m very much looking forward to doing this, my final year with OU,” Barry said at the time. “Something you love to do your entire life, and you’re able to do it and get paid for it, it’s hard to let go.”
‘Never had a bad day’
Barry began his broadcast career as a sportscaster for what is now known as KREF radio in Norman. After working as a salesman and disc jockey for five more years, Sooner coach Bud Wilkinson handpicked him to call Oklahoma’s football games in 1961.
In 1966, Barry was named sports anchor for what is now KFOR-TV, and in 1970, he became KFOR-TV’s sports director. He later became a father and had the privilege of gifting his job as station sports director to his son, Bob Barry Jr.
He announced OU football and basketball games until 1973, when he called Tulsa games for a season before calling Oklahoma State games for the next 17 years.
In 1991, Barry returned to calling OU football games. He retired from KFOR-TV in 2008, and after finishing the 2010-11 football and men’s basketball seasons, he handed play-by-play duties to Toby Rowland.
“I never saw Bob have a bad day,” Rowland said in a statement. “He loved life, and he loved his job. Even after 50 years of broadcasting, he would show up at the stadium like a kid in a candy store.”
OU president David Boren followed Barry’s retirement announcement with high praise, deserving of a hall of fame broadcaster.
“In my mind, there is no more outstanding broadcast journalist and sportscaster,” Boren said at Barry’s 2010 press conference. “No one across the country is more outstanding than Bob Barry.”
Sunday, Boren was among the many who were shocked to hear of Barry’s death.
“Bob Barry represented the best of the Sooner spirit,” Boren said in a statement. “With his contagious enthusiasm, he was one of the best sports broadcast journalists in the entire nation. He was loved by Oklahomans all across our entire state and will be missed by all of us.”
OU football coach Bob Stoops first thought of Barry’s friends and family after he was informed of the news. Barry called play-by-play for the first decade of Stoops’ career at Oklahoma.
“We send our condolences to Bob’s family and thank them for sharing him with us for so many years,” Stoops said in a statement. “I know this is a difficult time for them but hope they can find comfort in a life well-lived and the love of countless fans all over the country.”
Barry had an impact on Oklahoma fans and athletics that will be measured by the ears that heard him and the fans who adored him. Boren was one of the countless who will attest to Barry’s legacy.
“It simply would not be the same OU without Bob Barry,” Boren said.
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boomer3 6 months, 4 weeks ago
We will miss you Barry.
Way to go Eric!!!
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