[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 195 (Thursday, December 15, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING NED REYNOLDS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 15, 2022

  Mr. LONG. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the wonderful life of 
Ned Reynolds, a resident of Springfield, Missouri, legendary 
broadcaster and a great friend to many including myself. For each of 
the 22 years I conducted the Missouri State all Sports Auction Ned was 
one of my two set up men that would introduce each item being auctioned 
along with another area Sportscasting Legend Art Hains.
  St. Louis loved Jack Buck. Kansas City embraced Len Dawson. 
Springfield and the Ozarks proudly claim Ned Reynolds.
  People in the Ozarks have been watching and listening to Ned Reynolds 
on KY3 and on the radio for more than 50 years. They have heard the 
phrases ``get that off the screen'' when one of the local favorites 
lost a game and ``bon jour and good sports'' at the end of many 
newscasts. Anyone who has met Ned will say sports is in his blood.
  While many people in the Ozarks consider Ned a Missouri native, he 
grew up in Haddonfield, N.J. Ned is the middle child of three boys. His 
older brother is a retired professor at Rutgers University and his 
younger brother is retired from the U.S. Steel Corporation and heads 
the fundraising efforts for Theo's Work, an orphanage for 
underprivileged children in Haiti. Ned has a daughter, Stephanie, who 
is married to Darrell Hasse. He also has two grandchildren and one 
great grandchild.
  His father was a high school principal and provided educational 
direction. His mother, a concert pianist, developed his love of 
Classical music. After graduating from Haddonfield Memorial High 
School, Ned attended Temple University in Philadelphia. With the strong 
suggestion from his father, Ned studied English rather than journalism. 
His father felt that a basic overall education would be more beneficial 
to career enhancement than journalism.
  Ned has been doing sports since he was a kid. He was an announcer for 
little league games, high school sports reporting for local newspapers 
and emceed many local sporting events. In high school, he worked part-
time at WKDN in Camden, NJ. Ned made his first television appearance on 
NBC's Today show when he was only 15. He won a special guest appearance 
by sending a demo tape of his sports commentary of course,
  After graduation from Temple University, Ned joined the Navy. He 
applied to get into the armed forces radio, but was placed into the 
medical corps as a land-based surgical technician. After 4 years 
serving our country, and with his father's blessing to go into 
broadcasting, Ned came to KY3 in 1967. He has said that he drove into 
the parking lot at KY3 and never left. With his very early start in 
radio during high school, college, and in the service, Ned assumed his 
broadcasting career would be in radio. However, as is the nature of the 
broadcasting profession, a change was on the horizon. Working at KY3 is 
the only TV job that Ned has ever had. When asked why he switched from 
radio to television, he said: ``KY3 had an opening and I was lucky 
enough to be in the right place at the right time.'' Ned officially 
retired from KY3 in 2014.
  Ned's retirement didn't last long. He currently hosts a daily morning 
sports talk show on Springfield's Jock 96.9 and you can still see his 
sports commentary every Monday night on KY3 Sports. Ned continues to be 
the play-by-play announcer for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals games 
on KY3 and The Ozarks CW.
  If Ned isn't on the radio or television, he is doing philanthropy 
work in the community. He gives endless hours to numerous 
organizations. Ned has served on the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame 
board; spokesman for the United Way of the Ozarks and the boards of 
Springfield Symphony, Springfield Ballet, ARC of the Ozarks and he MC's 
the annual Honor Flight of the Ozarks banquets. He can still be 
frequently seen on public service announcements airing on KY3 promoting 
several local charities and their events.
  His sports reporting and dedication to the community have not gone 
unnoticed. Ned was honored to be selected as a Torch Barrier for the 
1996 Olympic Torch Relay in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri for the Atlanta 
Games. At the end of his leg of the race, he handed the torch to Ozzie 
Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2001 Ned was inducted into the 
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and received the Champion Award in 2002 
from the Ambassadors of Community Health Award. In 2014 he was inducted 
into the Mid-America Emmy's Silver Circle and in 2019 he was inducted 
into The Missouri Broadcaster's Hall of Fame. He was even the first 
person with their own bobbIe head in the inaugural season of the 
Springfield Cardinals.
  Much has happened since his Today Show appearance--and in Ned's own 
words . . . ``it has been a wonderful ride.''
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to have Ned Reynolds as a friend and I 
join his family, friends and the entire broadcasting community in 
honoring his lifetime of accomplishments and service to the Missouri 
Ozarks.

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