I rember that voice fondly. That was back when there was no multimedia display with unending commercials and we would fill up the dead time with yells.

Anybody rember Lizzie?

C.K. Esten was pure greatness.

...had Mr. Esten for a speech class in '71. I miss his calls at Kyle Field, too. He was a gem.

I agree with the Musicman's suggestion of using Mr. Esten's "Welcome to Kyle Field" as an intro, too. It would be great!

That's a throwback to a time when the bands played and autumn Saturday's had a sound unique to college football. Brass sounds and C.K. Esten with no jumbotron.

In short, something different than you get every day of the week at home in a multi-media room with 351 channels.

What a great sound. What great memories.

[This message has been edited by Quick Slant (edited 9/22/2010 9:03a).]

Holy crap I just came across this thread and it MAKES MY DAY.

Cannot believe someone has been able to dig up C.K. Esten's voice and put it on youtube. A million thanks.

I had the pleasure of attending games for about 10 years while he was the PA announcer. He was pure, unadulterated greatness. I just got chills when I heard that voice again. Outstanding.

...and don't forget to add the proper emphasis on "bay-LORE".

one of my fondest memories of Aggie football as a kid

Ah, C.K Esten. Two quick C.K. stories.

I worked in the press box for a few games while C.K. was announcing. He would sometimes give his trademark "Hello football fans, welcome to Kyle Field, home of the Fightin' Texas Aggies" and listen while the crowd went crazy. He'd turn off him mic and say "Yell, you bah-stads, yell," then turn the mic on and keep going.

Second. I worked nights DJing at KORA radio for Mike Mistovich for a couple of years and on Friday's I'd sometimes make fun of C.K., imitating his nasal voice and delivery to promo Saturday's game. He apparently listened because friends who took his speech class said he used me as an example of poor speech, inflection, enunciation and the like. Then I learned I had to take the class as a broadcast journalism student. The first day he called roll (I think it was in the old theater-in-the-round in Guion Hall) and when he called my name he proceeded to tell me how really lousy I was for several minutes. I bit my tongue knowing most of my responses would get me kicked out of class at best. I went to Mel Chastain, my advisor, and told him I didn't think I stood a chance in C.K.'s class. He laughed and agreed, and he got the dean to waive it as a requirement.
Great memories of Kyle and C.K.'s classic game descriptions and player names.

My favorite CK moment that I experienced in person was around '75 or '76 at Kyle.

I assumed he turned off his microphone when he wasn't using it so as to keep press box chatter inaudible to the public. If so, he unknowingly left it on in this instance when, after his spotter was apparently slow to call out who just ran on a running play, many of us heard this over the PA system:

"Who's got the ***damn ball ?!?!?!"

Some people I knew around town were convinced he was nipping on the whiskey while calling games. But I doubt it, that was just his eccentric (and fabulous) style. The guy was perceptive and brilliant...I'm convinced that most everything he did was meticulously planned to get a rise out of everyone. What a great way to go through life whether you're CK Esten or his audience.

I've heard that when the Bay of Pigs crisis broke, he walked into his speech class full of corps members and said "Well, it's been nice knowing you sons-of-*****es!" Is this true?

This thread is greatness - wonderful to hear that voice again.

One of the unconfirmed legends I once heard is that after he did the signature "Welcome to Kyle Field, home of the Fightin' Texas Aggies" he then uttered, "Wildcat you *******s"

Awesome!

Brings back memories of undergraduate years at A&M.

It was a simpler time and it did not appear everything about college football was money driven.

Makes you wonder if C.K. would put up with the scripted, multimedia circus that exists at Kyle today?

As an Engineering major, I had C.K. Esten for an elective speech course. Pretty neat and intimidating at the same time.

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Makes you wonder if C.K. would put up with the scripted, multimedia circus that exists at Kyle today?

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I can promise you if he walked into Kyle today his first words would be "What in the ***damn hell is going on here and when did the ****ing circus come to town?"

Love the memories in this thread! I grew up in the 50's listening to Kern Tips play-by-play.

My mother-in-law was one of the first women to take one of C.K.'s classes back in the early 60's. She had heard the stories about C.K. from her grad student husband, and was pretty apprehensive. Evidently in the days of all male classes the language in class could get pretty blue. The first day was pretty tough for her, but she ended up staying in the class and said that Mr. Esten was a complete gentleman with her and the other woman student.

I had his speech class in 1969 and, first day, he informed me he didn't particularly like having women in his class. I was scared to death because I had to have that class to graduate, but he never said another word and I ended up with an A for the class. Great teaching professor and voice of Kyle!

Scott DeLucia, long time College Station resident and local media personality, replaced Feldman at the A&M Basketball games, is he still the announcer for home games? From what I understand, Scott was offered the Kyle Field gig but turned it down in favor of his WTAW co-worker at the time, Chase Murphy. However, DeLucia does actually announce at Kyle Field -not on the PA as Murphy does but rather in the Press Level for all the media outlets giving more detailed statistical data. I understand he turned down the job because he didn't want to be put in a position or to be held accountable if he botched a name of a big Aggie donor at half time and pre game presentations and encur the wrath of the Association of Former Students. At one time, DeLucia was the official voice of Texas A&M even doing national commercials for the University. Does anyone have any audio of his voice? Comments?

I've posted this before:



I took a public speaking course during my sophomore year at A&M, taught by C. K. Esten, the "Voice of Kyle Field."

One early assignment was to prepare and give a short demonstration talk to the class.

In my talk, I explained and demonstrated how to tune my guitar while wearing my freshly starched Corps khaki uniform.

Another Aggie student (a tall, lanky, red-headed, non-reg, scion of a ranching family, who'd come to the Academic Building that morning in working boots, blue jeans and a cowboy hat) stood up when called upon and walked over to the podium.

He was holding a burlap sack closed with one hand.

Then he pulled a small, live goat out and quickly cut its nuts off.

"That's how you castrate a goat," was all he said with a big, friendly grin.

I don't know who was more surprised, our class, C. K. Esten or that goat.



I agree with having "TEXAS AGGIES" in our end zones.

And having C. K. Esten's voice open every game would be cool too.

BTHO of whomever we play next.



Gig 'em, FAST FRED '65.

Before the world wide web, village idiots usually stayed in their own village.

Esten always reminded me of the voiceover you typically heard in World War II era newsreels.

My love for announcing came from CK Easton ... He was part of the game..

A few mention his inflection on Bay-lore... Dr Easton actually got one of his degrees ( Bachelors in English I think from that school on 5th street in Waco)

Anyone have any Feldman audio? I never thought I'd forget his voice (I'm '97), but I can't picture it at the moment.

Ross Brupbacher-BRUUUBOCKA

Gig 'em.

Roger Feldman - DEEP baritone voice. He never seemed to get excited but maintained a steady tone. I still remember his version of "Time out................. A&M."

Seems to me one day someone managed to slip one of those silly Bart Simpson calling the bar names to the press box and it was announced over the stadium PA by Dr. Feldman. Whoever it was was asked to report to the north end zone first aid station which was under section 118 or 119 of the old horseshoe. There were also the announcements for people to call home - long before cell phones were the norm.

I would kill for some evidence that that goat story actually happened

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I would kill for some evidence that that goat story actually happened

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Just look for a castrated goat.

Can you imagine the roar of the crowd if Dr. Esten's welcome is the first announcement made in September at the new Kyle Field? It would be a forever, wonderfully memorable moment. Make it happen, whoever has the power!

quote:

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Can you imagine the roar of the crowd if Dr. Esten's welcome is the first announcement made in September at the new Kyle Field? It would be a forever, wonderfully memorable moment. Make it happen, whoever has the power!

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+1

yup
make it happen

Good Afternoon Ladies and gentlemen and Welcome to Kyle Field the Home of the Fighting Texas Aggies. Forever etched in my memory. Had him for speech class as well . Knew Roger Feldman and Scott Delucia well. They both did a great job. Roger called my name when I walked at G. Rollie in '74 with my masters

[This message has been edited by 67walkon (edited 8/3/2014 7:09p).]

"Good afternoon football fans - Welcome to Kyle Field - Home of the Fighting Texas Aggies!!!"

and .....

"Simoninniiiiiiiiiiiiii on the tackle!!"

[This message has been edited by wtr1975 (edited 8/3/2014 7:19p).]

I took C.K. Esten's speech class in the early 60's. One day in class, somehow we got him engaged in how he came to be an A&M prof. He said he started off as a high school English teacher at Gorman, Texas (little bitty piss-ant town in North Central Texas), but that sometime in the 1950's, the "government" screwed things up so much, forcing teachers to worry "about little Johnnie's temperature" and "whether little Johhnie was comfortable" that he said "**** it", and applied for a job at A&M. Loved his class, and his voice opening the games at Kyle Field always gave me the shivers.

He also produced and directed many of the student stage plays put on at Guion Hall.

[This message has been edited by Tater Salad (edited 8/3/2014 8:28p).]