[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 28, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S9315]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          TRIBUTE TO VAN VANCE

 Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I stand today to pay tribute to 
Van Vance, the ``Voice of the Cards.'' Van Vance has kept University of 
Louisville basketball and football fans tuned in on WHAS radio since 
the 1981-82 seasons. And today, I'm saddened to announce that one of 
the biggest Cardinals fans is giving up two of his true loves; play-by-
play for U of L basketball and his ``Sportstalk'' radio show.
  Van's voice will surely be missed by U of L basketball fans next 
season. He will also be missed by his old buddy and cohost, Jock 
Sutherland. For Cardinal fans, Jock and Vance are like the Siskel and 
Ebert of basketball, they have been inseparable for the past 13 
seasons. Jock describes Van as ``an absolute total professional.'' In a 
recent article in Louisville's Courier Journal Jock called Van ``the 
Walter Cronkite of Louisville Sports. They can replace you and replace 
you with a good man, but there'll only be one Walter Cronkite.''
  Van's love for basketball started at an early age. He earned the 
nickname ``Hawkeye'' while playing basketball at Park City High School. 
He lead the team in scoring during the 1951-52 season, and even though 
his career high was 39 points, Van most remembers a 34-point 
performance that included a perfect 18 of 18 from the free throw line. 
Those are just several reasons Van earned letters in four sports and an 
athletic scholarship to Western Kentucky University.
  His first job in radio came after a station manager in Glasgow, KY, 
heard his delivery of an ``I Speak for Democracy'' speech. He wasted no 
time getting to work, he started the job just hours after his last 
basketball game at Park City High in 1952. Van still had ``Hoop 
Dreams.'' He went to play basketball for legendary Ed Diddle at Western 
Kentucky, but when the coach made him choose between basketball and 
radio, Van gave up the courts for the studio.
  After several radio jobs, Van finally landed at WHAS-AM in 
Louisville. He started as a staff announcer in 1957, and then joined 
the sports staff in 1970. That same year, WHAS acquired the rights to 
broadcast the Kentucky Colonels' games of the American Basketball 
Association. Van did play-by-play for the Colonels until the franchise 
disbanded in 1976. Then in 1981, WHAS-AM was awarded the rights to U of 
L football and basketball games, and Van Vance was back on the air. The 
rest is Cardinals sports history.
  Mr. President, I ask you and my fellow colleagues to pay tribute to 
the career of Van Vance. It has been a memorable one, highlights 
include; doing play-by-play for the Louisville victory over Duke in the 
1986 NCAA championship, the Kentucky Colonels' victory in the 1975 ABA 
championship, the first basketball ``Dream Game'' between U of L and 
UK, and the football Cardinals big win in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. A 
recent quote from Van sums it up best: ``I've always said a play-by-
play announcer is like a surfer--the better the team, the better the 
game, the better announcer you can be. If you have a good wave, just 
ride it.'' Let's hope Van catches the ``Big Kahuna'' and the ``Voice of 
the Cards'' lives on in the hearts of cardinal fans young and 
old.


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