Bob Barry Sr. Back For One Final Year As OU's Play-By-Play Man

June 21, 2000

NORMAN, Okla. - This year will mark a special milestone in the career of award-winning broadcaster Bob Barry Sr. At his request, he will celebrate his 40th anniversary of football play-by-play broadcasting with a final season of Sooner football play-by-play, and he will assume new responsibilities at OU, said OU Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione.

While Barry will no longer be doing football play-by-play for the Sooners following the 2000 season, he will continue his association with OU as a member of the sports broadcasting team, focusing his efforts on assisting the OU Athletic Department in development of its sports programming.

"Bob's outstanding skills, coupled with his desire to seek new challenges following his 40th year of football play-by-play, offered us an unparalleled opportunity to seek his assistance in our sports programming," Castiglione said. "We appreciate Bob's willingness to continue his involvement with OU athletics and our broadcast properties." "I am very happy to continue my association with OU," Barry said. "This is just what I wanted - to complete my 40th year of broadcasting play-by-play this coming season, then to continue to be an integral part of the broadcast team for OU Athletics."

Barry, voted Oklahoma Sportscaster of the Year 15 times, was selected in 1961 by Bud Wilkinson to be a part of OU broadcasts. In addition, in the 2000-2001 season, he will enter his 23rd year as the voice of Sooner basketball. He began his broadcasting career at KOMA radio while he was in high school. Upon graduating from Oklahoma City's Classen High School, he attended OU, playing for the Sooners' freshman baseball team.

Barry joined WKY-TV (now KFOR) in 1966 and has been anchoring sportscasts there since that time, currently serving as the station's weekday sports anchor after relinquishing sports director duties to his younger son, Bob Barry Jr. For his many years of distinguished accomplishments in radio and television, he was named the 1993 recipient of the "Pioneer Award" presented by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Last year, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

Jeff Tennant, general manager for Sooner Sports Properties/Learfield Sports Oklahoma, the network that provides Sooner football and basketball broadcasts to fans statewide, said, "Obviously, Bob is an icon in Oklahoma sports broadcasting. We are extremely pleased he will continue to play a significant role in our broadcast properties."

Vance Harrison Jr., vice president and general manager for KOMA, KRXO, KMGL radio said, "We are honored to have been associated with Bob for the past 10 years, and we look forward to his continued involvement in our sports programming."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Bob Barry Sr. Back For One Final Year As OU's Play-By-Play Man

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