It’s been two months since the decision was made. It’s been 60 days since the announcement came out that I had decided to step away from the play-by-play microphone for Cowboy Football broadcasts.
And the outpouring of support and congratulations has been overwhelming. The positive response has been impressive. I have been so honored by it all. The number of texts and emails and phone calls have been so appreciated. It’s really hard to express just how much.
And it continues.
There will be another special recognition that will take place at the Cowboy’s home opener in War Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Saturday’s game versus Tulsa will provide the venue for yet another special, and very unique, honor bestowed on myself, and my long-time broadcast partner and friend, Kevin McKinney.
Behold and beware, the Bobblehead!
Kevin McKinney and Dave Walsh Bobbleheads will be available!
The accolades, the wonderful comments and honors continue, in a most unique way. More on the Bobblehead below, but the Bobblehead comes on the heels of many personal and public tributes.
Kevin and I were both inducted into the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2015. It was an incredible honor, made especially so by being inducted with Kevin. We had done so many broadcasts together, in fact, all of them. Every Cowboy Basketball radio broadcast for 36 years, and every Cowboy Football radio broadcast over the last 26 years, we were there for the call.
And to be honored by our peers in the business, well, that’s a big deal! To go into the WAB Hall of Fame is a great thrill, and to be inducted with your broadcast partner and friend, takes it beyond special.
For me personally, another overwhelming honor came my way one year later. It was another very special recognition that took place in the Fall of 2016. I was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame. Wow! What an honor for the Voice of the Cowboys.
I was still doing games too. And to become a member of the UW Hall of Fame, the same Hall of Fame that houses so many great UW athletes and coaches I had known. I had announced their games, and now I was being included in this group of Hall of Famers.
Just two years ago I was presented with another unexpected tribute. The National Football Foundation bestowed upon me the annual Chris Schenkel Award. This goes to “individuals with long, distinguished careers broadcasting college football with direct ties to a specific university”.
The 38 years of having the honor to announce Wyoming Football was the real award. Not that the recognition wasn’t. The Chris Schenkel Award was a wonderful ”perk”.
And how about this?!
Just a few weeks ago, I was honored with a seat in the Platte County Fair parade. That’s right, I was provided my own tractor-driven ride.
My old friend, Chuck Brown, was my driver. There was a beautiful, carefully designed “Voice of the Cowboys” float that preceded us in the parade. Yep, we were in the parade, making our way in front of a supportive crowd along the parade route in Wheatland, Wyoming.
And now, well, on Saturday, on what promises to be a beautiful summer-like day in the Gem City, here comes another recognition. There will be something during a time-out early in the game.
But there will also be a very unique, kind of quirky, presentation made. Actually, about 5,000 of them.
BOBBLEHEADS!
Kevin McKinney and Dave Walsh Bobbleheads! Five-thousand will be handed out to fans as they enter War Memorial Stadium. It’s a two-for-one deal. Both of us, Kevin and Dave, will be bobblin’ away on the same Bobblehead.
And what a great tribute, one that will hold a special place in my heart. It’s like having a little miniature statue, sculpted in your honor. It’s different, it’s sincere, and it’s heartfelt. And it’s a tribute that I was selected to share with Kevin. Many thanks to the great folks at UniWyo Credit Union for financing the Bobblehead giveaways.
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect this kind of congratulatory support from so many. It has been truly overwhelming and uplifting.
I’ll never forget the kind words, the parades, and certainly the Bobbleheads. I will always be appreciative, I promise.
