The Voice of Michigan Stadium Will Call His Last Game
11/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan Athletic Department announced Wednesday (Nov. 16) that Howard King, the voice of Michigan Stadium for Wolverine football the past 33 years, will call his last game Saturday afternoon (Nov. 19) when U-M hosts Ohio State.
| | King |
A former Marine, King graduated from the College of Wooster and received a graduate degree from The Ohio State University before coming to Ann Arbor in 1972. King started his announcing career at Michigan Stadium with the help of another great, memorable voice: Bob Ufer.
"It was only the third day that I had been in Ann Arbor and I was working to get my insurance here and everyone told me about Bob Ufer," King explained. "I liked football, he loved football and I was going to ask him how I could help him out in the booth. He told me the PA position was open and I then asked him if he could help me get an audition. Next thing you know, I auditioned and Don Canham gave me the job."
King's first game was the 1972 season opener against Northwestern, when he replaced Steve Filipiak, who had handled the PA chores since 1957.
King and his wife, Liz Sayre-King, reside in Traverse City. Howard is retired. Liz is president and founder of Professional Solutions Plus (PSP), which handles patient billing for physicians and leases professional employees for other businesses.
Press Box PA Announcer Pat Perry Also Calling Her Final Game
| | Perry |
She joined the Michigan Athletic Department as a part-time staffer in 1969 before taking a full-time job in 1971. She started working in the press box on the statistics crew in 1975 before assuming the internal PA duties in 1980.
Pat and Will live in West Olive, Mich., during the summer and reside in Naples, Fla., through the winter.
Contact: U-M Athletic Media Relations (734) 763-4423
