PERSONALITY PROFILE
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Play-by-play man Jerry Allen has called names for the Ducks for the past four
years.
‘Voice of Ducks’ fortune
leads to broadcast career
By Jake Berg
Emefatd Contributor
Nearly 20 years ago, a teen-ager stood
in a Grants Pass music store. Looking
over the albums, he noticed the man
next to him i\as a local radio station
dee jay
The deejay turned to the young man
and asked, "Are you interested in ra
dio?”
Smiling, the teen answered simply,
"Yah!"
The young |erry Alien, not realizing
that a career on the airwaves of radio
awaited him. followed the deejay's in
structions and visited the station for
training and a possible shot at broad
casting Allen took a job doing "gopher
work" at the station, and eventually
climbed tin- ladder to a deejay position.
|erry Allen, who once bad aspirations
of a life in forestry or teaching, is now
almost four years old as the official
"Yoii e oi the Ducks
just by pure lin k has he reached the
air. he admits.
"That's how it happened. Just a fluke,
a real fluke." he said. "Once you get in
it. you get hooked."
After a stint on the Grants Pass sta
tion. Allen ventured to a Medford sta
tion where he did play-by-play sports
coverage on the radio of Southern Ore
gon State Goliege. In the spring of 1986.
Allen received a c all from University of
Oregon Athletic Director Hill Byrne
"He called and asked ‘We have an
opening, and we d like you to come up
and do the Ducks.' ami I said 'I'll be
there." remembers Allen.
Since that time. Allen has done the
play by play at all the men's basketball
and football games via the kPNW Radio
(1120 AM. Eugene) station in connec
tion with the Oregon Sports Network.
"It's like a fun hobby." said the veter
an sportsc aster "They are (raying me to
do something I really enjoy doing."
An Oregon man and Duck fan all of
his life. Allen says that a friend by the
name of Tom Blanchard influenced his
views on the Ducks.
Blanchard. Oregon's quarterback in
the sixties, went to school with Allen in
Grants Pass.
"I really became a Duck fan then."
said Allen.
And Allen has really been a Duck fan
since then. His KPNW office is adorned
with green and yellow paraphernalia of
his favorite school, and the man just
plain loves the state, the City of Eugene,
and the University. Hut he won't let that
interfere with his interpretation of a
game on the air.
While doing the play-by-play over a
microphone. Allen visualizes a blind
friend of his sitting next to him
With that in mind, Allen said, "I try
to convey to (the listeners), in the sim
plest terms possible, the excitement of
what is going on on the field and have
them see in their minds just as if they
were watching it.
"You're talking to a blind person on
the radio," he said. "They are not there.
They can't see it. It's really just exactly
the same thing."
Oregon’s football game with Wash
ington last Saturday brought KPNW the
largest crowd it has ever had. Allen
said, but the increased number of listen
ers didn't faze him.
"You get so intense and so worried
about the game, I wasn't even thinking
about a larger number of people listen
ing," he said. "You know. I was just
another fan.”
On every Hill Musgrave pass, every
Michael McClellan kickoff return, one
can here the edge in Allen's voice that
says every play is a big play. An edge
that will explode into excitement at the
referee’s signal of six points fur the
Ducks.
"When you do play-by-play, you're
providing a service for people that can't
go to the game." Allen said "It makes
you feel good to get those people ex
cited and be a part of the game through
you."
For all Duck fans, the last decade end
ed on its highest note ever with the
Ducks' 27-24 Independence Bowl victo
ry over Tulsa. Allen was among those
celebrating Oregon's postseason visit.
Allen called the bowl a dream come true
for everyone in the state of Oregon. "To
be part of that . wow, that was a
Turn to ALLEN, Page 11
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