For 34 years he was the voice of Tennessee football. On any given Saturday in the fall between 1965 and 1998, fans across the Volunteer State would eagerly turn down the volume on their television sets and tune into the radio to hear his voice call a Vol football game. Why? Because for those 34 years, they had the pleasure of hearing one of the greatest voices in the industry call a college football game.
John Ward, the Vol Network’s play-by-play icon, who is etched in Tennessee athletics lore for his legendary calls in both football and basketball, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 88.