Keith Jackson Keith Jackson ( born October 18 , 1928 ) is an American former sportscaster , known for his long career with ABC Sports ( 1966 – 2006 ) , his coverage of college football ( 1952 – 2006 ) , his style of folksy , down - to - earth commentary , and his distinctive voice , with its deep cadence , and operatic tone considered " like Edward R . Murrow reporting on World War II , the voice of ultimate authority in college football . " Biography . Early life . Keith Jackson was born on October 18 , 1928 and grew up on a farm outside Carrollton , Georgia , near the Georgia - Alabama state line . The only surviving child in a poor family , he grew up listening to sports on the radio . After enlisting and serving in the U . S . Marine Corps , he attended Washington State University under the G . I . Bill . Jackson began as a political science major , but he became interested in broadcasting . He graduated in 1954 with a degree in speech communications . Broadcast career . Though best known for his college football broadcasts , Jackson announced numerous other sports for ABC throughout his career , including Major League Baseball , NBA basketball , boxing , auto racing , PGA Tour golf , the USFL , and the Olympic Games . He briefly worked college basketball with Dick Vitale . Jackson also served as the pregame / halftime / postgame anchor for ABC ' s coverage of Super Bowl XXII in 1988 . During his onair tenure he is credited with nicknaming the Rose Bowl as " The Grandaddy of them All " and Michigan Stadium as " The Big House " . Early assignments . Jackson began his career as a broadcaster at Washington State in 1952 , when he called a radio game between Stanford and Washington State . He then worked for KOMO radio in Seattle , and later for KOMO - TV from 1954 to 1964 as co - anchor for their first news team ( first co - anchor news team on the West Coast ) , covering Seafair hydroplane races , minor league Seattle Rainiers baseball games , and University of Washington football games . In 1958 , Jackson became the first American sports announcer to broadcast an event from the Soviet Union , a crew race between the Washington Huskies and a Soviet team . Despite heavy suspicion and numerous hurdles by the Soviet authorities , Jackson and his cohorts were able to cover the race : the first ever American sports victory on Russian soil . He became a radio news correspondent for ABC News Radio and sports director of ABC Radio West in 1964 before joining ABC Sports in 1966 . Jackson helped Walter Cronkite cover the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco . Professional football . In the early 1960s , Jackson covered American Football League games . In 1970 , he was chosen to be the first play - by - play announcer on " Monday Night Football " covering the NFL , but he remained in that capacity only for the program ' s first season . Frank Gifford was ABC ' s initial target but could not get out of his CBS contract until after the 1970 season . In 1971 , however , Gifford landed the job . Jackson found out that he had been taken off the " Monday Night " package from 38 messages , not from Roone Arledge himself . This led to some contention between him and the brass at ABC . Jackson was the lead play - by - play announcer for the United States Football League broadcasts on ABC from 1983 to 1985 . He was paired with Lynn Swann and Tim Brant . He called all three championship games in the league ' s short history . Olympic Games . Jackson was involved in the ABC coverage of the 1972 Summer Olympics and continued to contribute even when an attack by Palestinian terrorists transformed the coverage from that of a typical sporting event to a greater international and historical news event . In all , he covered a total of 10 Summer and Winter Olympic Games . He covered speed - skating during the 1980 Winter Olympics featuring Eric Heiden . Interestingly enough , he was offered the position of play - by - play for hockey , but turned it down ( the position ultimately went to Al Michaels ) . He covered basketball in 1984 . NBA . He was ABC ' s lead basketball play - by - play announcer with legendary NBA player Bill Russell for four years . " Wide World of Sports " . Jackson was a regular part of ABC ' s popular " Wide World of Sports " ( " WWOS " ) , covering both popular sports and obscure events like wrist wrestling . For " WWOS " he covered Evel Knievel ' s successful jump at Exhibition Stadium , in Toronto , Canada , on August 20 , 1974 ; He also handled " WWOS " ' first coverage of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard at the North American Continental Boxing Championships on July 26 , 1975 , who Jackson called a young boxer to watch . He teamed with Jackie Stewart and Chris Economaki in ( " WWOS " ) coverage of auto racing ; among the notable events covered by Jackson was the 1974 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway . Major League Baseball . In baseball , Keith Jackson called ( alongside Tim McCarver ) the famous 16 - inning sixth game of the 1986 National League Championship Series between the New York Mets and Houston Astros . That turned out to be the final Major League Baseball game that Jackson broadcast . Jackson had previously broadcast ABC ' s coverage of the 1977 , 1979 and 1981 World Series ( Jackson split play - by - play duties with Al Michaels for the latter two with Jackson calling the games at the American League site ) , the 1978 , 1980 and 1982 All - Star Game ( again , sharing play - by - play duties with Al Michaels for the latter two ) , the 1980 National League Championship Series , the 1976 , 1978 and 1982 American League Championship Series , the 1981 American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers , and the 1978 American League East tie - breaker game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox alongside Don Drysdale . He also called various " Monday Night Baseball " and other regular - season games for ABC throughout the late 1970s and early ' 80s . Jackson ' s role on ABC ' s college football coverage occasionally interfered with his postseason baseball commitments . For instance , he was unavailable to call Game 1 of the 1976 ALCS because he had just finished calling an Oklahoma - Texas college football game for ABC . Thus , Bob Uecker filled - in for Jackson for Game 1 . In 1978 , Jackson called another Oklahoma - Texas football game for ABC on the afternoon October 7 , then flew to New York , arriving just in time to call Game 4 of the ALCS that same night . On October 11 , 1980 , Jackson called once again called an Oklahoma - Texas football game for ABC in the afternoon , then flew to Houston to call Game 4 of the NLCS . In the meantime , Don Drysdale filled - in for Jackson on play - by - play for the early innings . College basketball . Starting in 1987 , he was the ABC ' s lead play - by - play announcer for college basketball , teaming with analyst Dick Vitale . This partnership lasted until 1992 . College football . For all his success , he received the most acclaim for his coverage of college football . He genuinely enjoyed the sport and the purity of it . Jackson began his ABC career at a time when television play - by - play announcers did not always have regular analysts . He would only once miss working a college season in his over 50 years ( when he served as play - by - play announcer during the inaugural season of " Monday Night Football " ) , beginning in 1952 . Jackson was joined in the booth by Joe Paterno for the 1974 Michigan - Ohio State game in Columbus , while Woody Hayes accompanied him for the 1974 Notre Dame - USC game . In his many years covering college football , Jackson was paired with a wide variety of color commentators , including Jackie Jensen ( 1966 – 1967 ) , Lee Grosscup ( 1972 ) , Bud Wilkinson ( 1969 – 1975 ) , Ara Parseghian ( 1975 – 1979 ) , Frank Broyles ( 1978 – 1985 ) , Lynn Swann ( 1984 – 1985 ) , Tim Brant ( 1986 , 2001 – 2002 ) , Bob Griese ( 1987 – 1999 ) , and Dan Fouts ( 2002 – 2005 ) . Jackson called 16 Sugar Bowl s and 15 Rose Bowl s during his time at ABC . For many years , he was assigned by ABC to the primary national game of the week . His quirky expressions such as " " Whoa , Nellie ! " " , " " Fum - BLE ! " " and " " Hold the phonnnnne ! " " ( following a penalty flag ) are often the subject of comedic imitation . Though he greatly popularized it , Jackson notes that he learned the term " " Whoa , Nellie " " from earlier television announcer Dick Lane . He has often referred to offensive and defensive line players as the " Big Uglies " , or to an individual by saying " " That guy . . . is a hus " " ( horse ) . Jackson is also credited with coining the nickname for Michigan Stadium , " The Big House . " In the season before his first retirement , during what was thought to be his final game at The Big House , the Michigan Marching Band ' s halftime show concluded by spelling out " Thanks Keith " across the field . The 111 , 019 fans turned toward the press box , stood up and cheered for the commentator . As a part of the halftime event former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler presented Jackson with a jersey with " The Big House " across the front and a Michigan football helmet . During the mid - ' 80s , he began falling out of favor with ABC executives due to the rise of stars such as Al Michaels and Jim Lampley . Jackson ' s contract expired after the 1986 Sugar Bowl . He had a 3 month " retirement " until new ABC Sports President Dennis Swanson personally offered him a 3 year contract , which he accepted . In the 1990s , Jackson recorded videos for the centennial of the Alabama Crimson Tide . In 2006 , Jackson introduced the Nebraska Cornhuskers ' " Tunnel Walk " video on the stadium " HuskerVision " screens . This video played before every home game at Memorial Stadium in the 2006 season . It was also used for one home game in 2007 , against Texas A & M . On September 26 , 2009 , for the 300th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium , Jackson again provided a video tribute to the fans of Nebraska . Jackson ' s connections to the University of Nebraska remain strong . It was Jackson himself that the university contacted when designing its new pressbox facility — Jackson ' s advice included a recommendation that it include a separate restroom inside the broadcast booth , as few if any broadcast booths had any suitable restroom facilities . When Jackson broadcast the Nebraska / California game the following season ( the debut of the Cornhuskers ' new pressbox ) , he found a restroom in the booth with a sign reading " The Keith Jackson Memorial Bippy . " The sign was a joke from Jackson ' s longtime friend , Nebraska sports information director Don Bryant . The name stuck , and a permanent plaque was put up next to the restroom door that reads " The Keith Jackson Toilet Facility - Dedicated Sept 11 , 1999 " . On November 3 , 2007 during the half time of the Arkansas vs South Carolina game , Jackson was present in the press box at Donald W . Reynolds Razorback Stadium as the Master of Ceremonies for the retirement of and field dedication to longtime ABC color commentator and partner Frank Broyles . Jackson would call the 1972 USC Trojans the greatest team he ever saw . Jackson , who was in his first year in ABC football broadcasting narrating the taped highlights of the 1967 USC vs . UCLA football game , declared it many years later to be the greatest game he has ever seen . Jackson ' s career was not free of incidents . During the 1978 Gator Bowl , Jackson missed Ohio State Head Coach Woody Hayes ' infamous punch of Clemson defensive lineman Charlie Bauman . Bauman had intercepted a pass and was pushed out of bounds on the Ohio State sidelines , and a frustrated Hayes threw a forearm at Bauman ' s throat . Jackson ( and color commentator Ara Parseghian ) failed to see or comment on Hayes ' actions , which had been captured from a different vantage point on camera . No replay of the actual incident was available in the booth during the telecast , as the television crew was working with limited replay capability . In addition to this , no sideline reporter was available to provide information on the cause of the unsportsmanlike penalties that occurred as a result . This led to accusations that Jackson was protecting Hayes , who was later fired for the incident . Retirement . Jackson announced his first retirement from college football at the end of the 1998 season and his intention to live full time at his home in California . Choosing the 1999 National Championship at the Fiesta Bowl between Tennessee and Florida State as his last broadcast , he concluded the program by stating " Tennessee 23 , Florida State 16 . And so it is done . I say goodbye to all of you . God bless and good night . " During the game , Jackson also verbally recognized that John Ward , Tennessee ' s long - time radio sportscaster , was also broadcasting his last football game for the Vols . Jackson rescinded his decision the following fall and began to do a more limited schedule of games , teamed with Tim Brant and later Dan Fouts , almost exclusively sticking to venues on the West Coast , closer to his home in British Columbia . Two notable exceptions were the 2003 Michigan – Ohio State game and the 2005 Oklahoma vs . Texas football game . Both were the 100th meeting between two archrivals . He strongly hinted that he was interested in retiring for good after the 2005 season , telling " The New York Times " that he was feeling his age after 53 seasons . ABC tried to lure Jackson to stay , but he made up his mind . Jackson decided to retire for good on April 27 , 2006 , at age 77 , noting he didn ' t want to die in a stadium parking lot . His last game call was the 2006 Rose Bowl featuring Texas vs . Southern Cal . Ironically , the game was the last for ABC Sports , as it was integrated with ESPN the following summer and is now known as ESPN on ABC . " Big 10 Icons " . In March , 2010 , the Big Ten Conference announced that Jackson would host a 20 - episode series called " Big 10 Icons " which will highlight what the Big 10 Conference considers the league ' s top 50 student - athletes . The series will be presented countdown style , and the top Big Ten student athlete will be revealed during a program to be broadcast during the 2011 Big Ten Basketball Tournament . Awards and honors . In 1999 , the National Football Foundation awarded Jackson the Gold Medal Award , its highest honor . The same year he was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame for his many years of contribution to " The Granddaddy of Them All " . The Edward R . Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University awarded their alumnus with the Murrow Award for top leaders in the communication industry in 1999 ; Jackson was a charter member of the WSU Foundation , founded in 1979 , provided scholarship money to the Murrow School and chaired the fund - raising drive for the school ' s alumni center . In 1994 , Jackson was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame . On April 24 , 1995 , he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame , having won its National Sportscaster of the Year five successive times . The American Football Coaches Association awarded him its Amos Alonzo Stagg Award in 1993 as an individual " whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football . " He was the first sports announcer to receive the Stagg award . Longtime Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno said of Jackson : " I don ' t think you could say that there is any one person who is not a coach , athletic director or administrator who has done more for college football than Keith Jackson " . Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr described Jackson as " a symbol of all the good things in college football " . Film and television appearances . Jackson has had a minor career as an actor , often either playing himself , as on an episode of " Coach " ; or a sportscaster like himself , as in " The Fortune Cookie " ( 1966 ) , appearing in the first speaking role of the film " Football Announcer " as a CBS play - by - play man , a network for whom he never worked . He has also appeared in and narrated several sports documentaries . His play - by - play of the 1977 World Series is used in the background of the Spike Lee film , " Summer of Sam " ( 1999 ) . In 2007 , he appeared in clips and voice on the ESPN original series , " The Bronx Is Burning " , featuring clips from ABC ' s " Monday Night Baseball " , and ABC Sports ' coverage of the 1977 World Series . Jackson has appeared in numerous commercials , especially in the latter stages of his career . He once parodied his broadcast persona for a Bud Light beer commercial , in which he played the officiating minister at a wedding , finishing with his famous line , " " Whoa , Nellie ! " " He also appeared in commercials for Shoney ' s , a chain of family - style restaurants well known in the Southeast , especially in his native Georgia . Most recently , Jackson has appeared in " The Legend of Gatorade " ads , which he humorously alluded to during his live coverage of the 2006 Rose Bowl . In 2006 , he also was shown in a commercial for Ice Breakers ' Ice Cubes with Hilary Duff , Haylie Duff and Joey Lawrence , again contributing his famous " " Whoa , Nellie ! " " Jackson was portrayed by actor Shuler Hensley in the 2002 made - for - cable film " Monday Night Mayhem " , which aired on TNT . This film told the story of the initial seasons of " Monday Night Football " . Personal . Jackson is a long - time resident of California . He and his wife , Turi Ann , have three grown children , Melanie , Lindsey & Christopher , and three grandchildren , Ian , Holly & Spencer . He currently resides in the Los Angeles area . On the subject of writing a book , Jackson has admitted that he ' s considered it , but joked that he would only sit down and work on one if he were to ever lose his golf swing .