Wendy Corr:
Well, hey there, folks, welcome to The Roundup. I'm your host, Wendy Corr, and at the Roundup, we want to talk to really interesting people who have made their mark on the Cowboys state. And today's guest for this episode is somebody whose voice you know.
If you know University of Wyoming athletics, you know Kevin McKinney, and that is my guest today. And I am so tickled to make his acquaintance, because Kevin and I have never had an opportunity to meet before this, and we've just had a great time before we've gotten started today just kind of getting to know each other, and me getting to know Kevin's remarkable Wyoming experience.
Because Kevin, hello, we'll start with that proper greeting. Hello, Kevin!
Kevin McKinney:
Hello, Wendy, you're making me up a lot bigger than I really am, but I appreciate it, believe me. Great intro.
Wendy Corr:
Well, Kevin, you are, you are Wyoming. I mean, you started out in Cheyenne. You are born and bred into this state. And you're really, truly born and bred into radio.
Just by way of introduction, folks, if you don't know Kevin, Kevin has been the voice of UW football, UW basketball. He's announced radio broadcasts for both of those sports since the 70s, for basketball, is that correct?
Kevin McKinney:
Correct. It went back all the way to early 70s, and then 1998.
Wendy Corr:
You have been the voice and you've been the co host, of course, you've worked with Dave Walsh, and he was your radio partner for years and years. But this is something I think, that people just really, if there's a question that you have about UW athletics, Kevin's the guy that can answer those questions.
Because, Kevin, you just started out in radio from, before you could even walk, really. Tell us about your Wyoming origin story, because it's a great one.
Kevin McKinney:
Well, I was born in Cheyenne, as you mentioned, Wendy, and my dad was in radio. He was actually in sales to begin with, and then he, on the side, helped engineer the games for football and basketball for Wyoming. And he worked with Larry Birleffi for many, many years, as I did as well.
And Larry, of course, was one of the original voices of Wyoming athletics, Voice of the Cowboys. And he did it for over 42 years. I think it was 43 years in fact. And you know, I had the pleasure, the opportunity to work with him, to call him my friend - and my dad and I really appreciated what he did for both of us.
But, you know, dad started engineering for Larry in high school games, and then it moved into college, and I'd get to go to the games and sit with them, spot for Larry a lot as I was growing up. And so I became very familiar with not only the business, but the athletic department itself, which later on led me into the profession.
Wendy Corr:
Well, you had this though, from the time that you decided to go to the University of Wyoming for college, which, you graduated in 1971 with a journalism degree. You kind of had your eye on that.
Let's talk about the stories. Let's talk about these really wonderful people who make up the teams, who make up the athletics program. Is that correct?
Kevin McKinney:
Yeah, and you know it was, it's been a terrific career. Obviously, Wendy, I've just enjoyed it. As my original boss, Bill Young, would say, it beats work, and it always did, because we got to know so many personalities in terms of student athletes as well as coaches, media and fans themselves.
But I really got into the world of University of Wyoming athletics when Larry talked to Bill Young, who was the sports information director. He was the second sports information director in the history of school, and then I was the third. But Larry talked to Bill about, do you have any openings in the office? And Bill said, I have one internship that is open, and I was lucky enough to get that internship with two other young guys.
And I spent four years in sports information with Bill, doing various sports. I did baseball, I did wrestling, then we helped build with football and basketball. And, you know, sports information, probably not many people understand what it is, but it's, it's the entity that works with media answers, media questions, sets up interviews, does all the statistics for the sports, does the media guide.
And so that's the experience I had as a student, and I will say, Wendy, honestly, I think it helped get me through school. I loved going over to the office after school in the afternoons, and it's kind of my home away from home, and it just couldn't have been a better situation for me.
And then when I graduated, I went away for about nine or 10 months to work at the Highway Department in their operation, public information, they called it. And then Bill had an opening as an assistant, and he called me, and it didn't take me long to decide to come back. And so I've been there ever since.
But those experiences are invaluable. That's why I always tell everybody, Wendy, get into internships. They either tell you that you love something or they tell you that you don't want to be in it. And so if you have an opportunity as a young person getting into college or later on High School, take an opportunity to be an intern and find out what it's all about.
Wendy Corr:
So you got to be immersed into this UW athletic sports world from really a young adult age. But you stayed there, and you have worked with - and this is a really remarkable thing - you've worked with every athletic director that the school has ever had. Tell us about that.
Kevin McKinney:
Well, when I started at UW, Red Jacoby, Glenn “Red” Jacoby, was the athletics director and really the iconic figure for Wyoming athletics. He was instrumental in having the stadium built. The Cowboys used to play in a little stadium over on campus. So he got War Memorial Stadium and Field House built.
He brought in some great coaches, and really he got Wyoming in the national limelight. While he was there, the Cowboys went to the Gator Bowl, and that was really their first national exposure, and that was in football, but Red was a great dreamer, a great thinker, and just the coaches he hired and the plant that he created is what we are today.
And I don't know what Wyoming would have been without him and what he accomplished, and so it was a great honor, but a great pleasure for me to work with him. He was a little intimidating to me as a young, young guy, but a tremendous guy and very good to me, and I will never forget what he did for my career and what he did for the University of Wyoming athletics department.
Wendy Corr:
So you started out working with that original athletic director. You've worked with all of them since. And even though you - I want to kind of jump ahead here - even though you retired from working at the University in that capacity, you are still there, obviously, still calling games.
But you also worked with all of the football - with, what, 14 head football coaches? Going to be 15 now, right? Tell us about the UW football program, and how you've seen it evolve over the years, from coach to coach to coach.
Kevin McKinney:
Well, you know, there were some good and some bad, and unfortunately, in the business, some are highly successful and they move on. We lost a coach to Texas. We lost a coach to Purdue. One went to Auburn, and then some had to be let go because they didn't do well.
So it's, it's kind of a mixed bag of, you know, individuals and situations, really. And so I enjoyed every one of them. I mean, there were some that were a little quirkier than others, and whatnot, but I always enjoyed my relationships with them.
I kind of made a mistake early on and got too friendly with one of them, and when he got fired, it was a heartbreaking situation. So I have learned through the years to keep my distance in terms of close relationships personally.
But in terms of working with them through the media, and what my responsibilities are to the media with them, I've always felt like I've had a great relationship with them. They've been honest with me and I've been honest with them.
And, you know, I think they always felt like I had their back. I hope they would say that. You know, media has tendency, as we know, to dig and get into things that maybe it shouldn't, but most of the time in Wyoming, at least, I've been very fortunate to work with great media representatives, with people with a lot of integrity and who didn't do the kind of things that maybe a bigger national program might have to deal with.
We've been very fortunate in that regard, but our coaches through the years really had a good understanding of what the media could do for the athletics department, what a conduit it was to our fan base. And so they all really were very cooperative with me to work with.
But a lot of guys, some things that happened to some of them that were unfortunate and they were let go, some moved on to other jobs. Craig Bohl, who just retired, is really the only one, Wendy, that we've ever had in all my years who actually retired in the job.
Most of them leave one way or the other, but Craig, of course, had the longest tenure of any of them, and it was just a very interesting situation for me to have him retire in the job. And it just simply says what a great job he did and how happy he was here.
And so that was, for me, a great way to kind of finish out my career in terms of working in the athletics department. But all these guys I have great respect for, I hear from some of them still to this day - not all, but some, and it's been just a remarkable experience with these varying personalities and people who are great, great over achievers, great motivators, really great people.
Wendy Corr:
You probably don't want to answer this because it would show favoritism. But at what point in the UW football legacy that you have witnessed, what was the most fun for you? Has there been a period of time that you recall, has there been a game or an experience that you recall, that was just really, that when you look back now, say, Wow, that was really great.
Kevin McKinney:
Well, certainly Craig Bohl’s era was very rewarding for me, because I got to know him extremely well, and have a great deal of respect for him.
I think probably a couple of the most fun times, Paul Roach, who coached in the late 60s, as well as the athletics director - unbelievable career for Paul. He came on and actually hired himself. He was the athletics director. This is a great story about that.
Dennis Erickson had left Wyoming to go to Washington State, and kind of left abruptly. And it was a very difficult time for our student athletes, for the team, because they had had a six and six record and felt like they were on a good trajectory.
And he left to Washington State - which we all perceived as at least, if not the same as Wyoming, maybe lower than Wyoming. When you go to Texas, what can you say to a guy? When you go to Auburn, what can you say? But when he went to Washington State, that was a tough one.
And so the kids were in tough shape. They just were not good. And Paul came in, of course, he'd been a coach for many years. He was an assistant at Wyoming at one point even, and he'd been at Wisconsin, and he'd been with the Green Bay Packers, and so he'd been around, but he was 58 years old - and I don't think that's ancient now, but I did then, you know, and the kids really thought he was ancient.
And so he came in and he says, I'm going to find you the best coach that we can hire. And he says, I'm going to do it as quickly as I can, because we're, you know, in the middle of winter conditioning, so spring ball was coming on.
And so a week later or so, he came in, called a team meeting, and he said, I have found a really good coach. And he says, It's me. So it was so classic. And the kids, you know, they're looking at each other, like, this guy's, he's almost 60 years old. Is he going to be able to relate to us and all that kind of thing?
And so the first spring - he was a mastermind offensively, he was the offensive coordinator at these big jobs he was involved in. And so when they got a load of his offense and how we attacked people, you know, I think they felt a little better about it.
I don't think they were all sold by the end of spring ball. And so we got into fall practice, he put in a little more, installed a little more offense and whatnot. And then in the opening game, Wyoming beat Air Force and beat them soundly. And then Wyoming ended up having a great first year with him.
Then he won 10 games, and he won 11 in two consecutive years. Went to four bowl games, just historic, what he did for the program at Wyoming.
And I think that's probably the most heartwarming, most interesting, because he was one of the greatest guys I've ever been around, just a very normal guy. You could sit and talk to him, and he could poke fun at himself, but he could motivate kids, and he could give them weapons and offense and defense with which to be highly successful. And so his period of time was one of my all time favorites.
I would say I loved Fred Akers. Fred was only here two years, he came from Texas, and we were running the wishbone back in the day, which is a type of offense that just ran the ball, we didn't throw.
And we were two and nine his first year. But you could feel like, you know, ‘Hey, I think we might have some going here.’ ‘Yeah, but you're only two and nine.’ ‘No, I think I feel good about this.’ The next year, we won the league, went to the Fiesta Bowl and had a great year.
My pride and joy, Sports Illustrated came, which at that time was the biggest media outlet in the country. There wasn't an ESPN, of course, but they came and did a four page feature on Wyoming and Fred - but unfortunately, at the end of that year, then Texas hired him back, and so we lost him.
But that two year period was very special to me, because Wyoming was in tough shape, program wise, when he came, and he got it back on track. And it really meant a tremendous amount to the university and to the athletics department.
I think he probably got a bad rap because he was only here two years and left, but, you know, he couldn't turn down Texas. I mean, it's one of the biggest programs in the country, and I think most good Cowboy fans understood that. Some of course, didn't. I'm glad there wasn't social media then.
But his era, Paul's and Craig's, I think to wrap it up, were probably three of my very favorites. Joe Tiller was also a great one, who followed Paul and ended up going to Purdue and being highly successful there.
But I loved working with all of them. They'd make me mad sometimes, of course. And that's part of the business. I probably made them mad too, but I tried to be very fair with the media, and tried to influence them to do the same.
And I think in the main - and part of that is hiring them, Wendy, really the kind of people you hire - but I think in the main, we did a good job of both sides, media and the coaches respecting one another and working together. So I'm very proud of that.
Wendy Corr:
So let's switch sports here, because you have been also the voice of and called these basketball games and provide color commentary for basketball games since 1998, correct?
Kevin McKinney:
That was in ‘70, early ‘70s.
Wendy Corr:
Oh, football. Football was ‘98, That's right, football is ‘98 and basketball was early ‘70s. So you've been calling UW basketball games for a really long - oh my gosh, that's 50 years. That's 50 years, Kevin!
Kevin McKinney:
Yeah, I know, I know, Wendy, and there's been a lot of great times in that too. And there's been some tough goes as well. But you know, there again, same thing. I mean, you're working with individuals, student athletes, who are really cream of the crop from their schools, coming in to go to school and play.
And then, of course, the coaches themselves, they’re more colorful in basketball, I believe, than they are in football. And you say, ‘Well, why is that?’ I think, probably, because they're so recognizable on the bench in a basketball game than on the sideline.
I really think people aren't sure who the head coach is in football when they're sitting in the stands, but in basketball, you know who it is, and so I think they're just a little more eccentric, maybe, but certainly for the most part, more outgoing. And you can tell that by the way they talk to officials.
But it's been a pleasure working with them, because they're similarly motivated like football, the same type of deal, but they're just a little different type of coach, and I've really enjoyed my time with them.
You know, it's a little more difficult, to be honest with you, doing radio when they know exactly who you are, and maybe mom or the wife is listening to the game. And so, you know - I haven't had this happen very often, believe me - but I always try to be as fair as I could without ripping them, because I didn't want that, because I work there and I want the relationship, but, you know, it's worked out really well.
And in the Main, those jobs, my job, Dave Walsh's job, we're homers. We always said that we want Wyoming to win. We want them to do well. We're not going to sit there and berate kids or coaches because we're part of them and that never got by us.
We always appreciated what our job was and what it meant to the state of Wyoming, and so we never got real negative. But if I might have said something here or there, I might hear from the wife every once in a while, and I'd apologize to her, but the coaches have a much thicker skin than the wives and moms and dads.
Wendy Corr:
You know, that is something I think that's probably unique to Wyoming, and you can probably attest to this, is that, because everybody knows everybody here, you probably hear from a lot of the fan base, and you hear from a lot of the people that are outside of your circle. Because here in Wyoming, people like you, people like me, we're accessible, and in a way that, it's not that way in other states. Do you ever talk to colleagues from other teams and other organizations, and kind of compare notes that way?
Kevin McKinney:
Well, we do, to a degree. I have some great friends who've been in the business, sports information and radio, and we do compare notes, and we talk about - everybody understands that Wyoming is the most unique of anybody, that it’s the only state with one four year institution, of course.
And we're in a situation where if somebody doesn't like the location of their seats, they don't necessarily call us. They call the governor. I guarantee you, no other state in the union has that situation. I imagine most fans don't even know who the governor is, probably, but in Wyoming that that can happen.
And you know, that uniqueness, I love. Some days it was kind of difficult, but that's what you expect. And so that's the passion that nobody else has, like Wyoming has. And you know, if you're passionate enough to call the governor of the state about your seats or about the coach, then that's what you want.
And while it's difficult here and there, it's what you want to have. That's what you want your fan base to feel like. And so I love that about Wyoming.
I love, wherever we go - you know, I've had so many interesting situations where, when they found out who I was, it was just so flattering to me, because, you know, you're somewhere in Wyoming, and they do listen, and they may have listened in a hunting camp or, you know, on a tractor or something, but they listen and they're fans.
And I've always felt as I drove around Wyoming, which I love doing, there'll be a home, and really nobody around them for miles and miles, and I feel like sometimes we can make their day, even though it's snowing sideways and they're trying to get their cows safe - if the Cowboys can win, it made their day. And I love that about the state of Wyoming. Yeah.
Wendy Corr:
Oh, that's just a great, what a great sentiment, absolutely. So, what did you feel like when you said, you know, in 2021, ‘I think it's time to hang it up. I think it's time to hang up one part of my life,’ which was your day to day job? How did you feel leaving that behind?
I mean, you still have, you're still holding on to the radio commentary, which is phenomenal. But how did it feel to say, ‘You know what, it's time to close that door?’
Kevin McKinney:
Yes. And I think being able to still do the radio kind of softened the blow of it. It was very difficult, Wendy, I mean, it was, I'd been there actually as a student since 1967, and so, you know, I had the longest tenure of anybody in the University at the time.
And when I called the folks that handle that kind of thing, human resources, they said, ‘Oh, wow. We hate to see you go. That name has been on there since I was here, since I was a kid,’ and all that kind of thing. It was hard.
It was very difficult. I love people. I enjoy interacting with people. You know, I had so many friends in the athletics department through the years, not just currently, but I had a difficult time. It was hard, but it was time for me to do that, and it was time for others to have the opportunity to do what I do. And the same will happen with radio as well.
But I have tough days to this day, Wendy, with that, and I suppose I always will, but I appreciated what happened to me through the years. Grateful, you know. I thank my family, I thank the family I had in the athletics department for allowing me to do it all those years, through thick and thin.
And as I say, it was just such a labor of love that I never looked at it as getting up and going to work. I never did. And we had some tough days, and there were tough times when we won one football game through the year or something, we won four basketball games one year through the year.
Yeah, those are tough things, but you still have the people you work with and the student athletes. Hey, they're trying hard. They won four games, but they didn't just give up on it, so you have empathy for them and what they're trying to do.
And so all of those things were in my mind when I finally stepped away, and it was very tough, but it really helped to still do the radio and still be around everybody. I still go in a couple times a week, I'm actually in two different meetings, which they let me stay in, just because they feel sorry for me.
But, you know, I still get the opportunity - when the radio is done, I think that'll really be when the shoe falls, probably.
Wendy Corr:
Well, until then, you have now more time to spend with your family. I understand that you're heartbroken because you and your son were planning a big outing. When we first got started, folks, we were visiting beforehand, and I said, ‘Who's that cutie on the wall back behind your shoulder?’ And he said, ‘Oh, that's, that's my son, and you, unfortunately, aren't going to be able to do this, but tell us what your plans were this weekend.
Kevin McKinney:
Well, Sean and I have been very close. He's my only child, and you know, he kind of followed me through athletics, and I brought him to everything I could. And so he was exposed a great deal.
But as a sidelight, we both love music, and we - I probably shouldn't have done this, okay? I probably, I admit to it right now, but when he was about 12, I can't believe this, I took him to Fiddler's Green in Denver to see Metallica. I love Metallica, and so I wanted him to at least be exposed to that.
You know, it was the era of heavy metal and long hair and all that kind of thing - and I had more fun watching Sean at that show than I did watching the show, he was overwhelmed. And since that time, we've tried to - he has two lovely sons, and you know, I love him to death, and we're going to take them one day, don't worry. But he was so enthralled by it that we got their albums tapes at the time, and he wanted to go to another one.
So we did, and this will be, we were going to go this week - I can't go because I had some surgery - but we're going to go to Chicago Soldier Field. Metallica is going to be there for two shows, Friday and Sunday, and we had it all planned, and I can't go, which is heartbreaking to me. It's killing me.
But this will be his 31st and 32nd Metallica shows. He's got me beaten by like six, and I've got to be the oldest living Metallica guy at a concert for Metallica, probably, but we've had a marvelous bonding through that.
Athletics, for sure, that was kind of a given since my business, but the music part is something that I cherish most, because that happened organically, so to speak. And, you know, he got into them like I was. And I have people tell me, ‘What are you thinking, to take Sean to a Metallica concert?’ But it was fun to watch him there, and it has not gotten any less fun through all the times we've been together at those shows.
So that's a side light that I'm very proud of. I know people are scratching their heads about it, but it's been something we could do together and, you know, block out everything else for at least one night, or in this case, over a weekend. Last year, we were in LA at SoFi stadium, and we've been all over the country, really doing it, and feel like it's something that is so dear to me that I would not have changed, changed it, or traded for anything.
Wendy Corr:
I think that's fantastic - music does that, it doesn't matter what genre, music does that. And I just think that's fantastic.
Kevin, this has been really a fun conversation, and I have just really enjoyed hearing your stories and getting to know you, and and I hope that you will continue to do radio and be that voice that we hear for football and for basketball for years to come.
Kevin McKinney:
Well, thank you very much, Wendy, I sure appreciate you giving me this opportunity. I hope that I go on a little bit longer. I don't know exactly how long, Dave stepped aside a couple of years ago, which was hard for me, believe me - we were together 36 years.
Wendy Corr:
That’s longer than most marriages.
Kevin McKinney:
Yeah, as we always said, we're probably in more bedrooms through the years that listened on the radio. But you know, it does come to an end, and you just hope that when it does, you're still professional and doing the job, and that's what I want. I will step aside as soon as that doesn't happen, but it's going to be a tough one. It's going to be very hard for me to say that last goodbye on the radio, but it has been the richest career I could have had.
Wendy Corr:
Well, we are so glad that you've had it. We've glad you've been a part of our experience as radio listeners and as UW fans. So Kevin, thank you for your years at the University of Wyoming, and thanks for talking with us today.
Kevin McKinney:
It's been my pleasure. Wendy, I really appreciate it. Thank you.
Wendy Corr:
You bet! And folks, thank you for tuning into The Roundup. We have had such a fun time today with Kevin McKinney, but we have so many more conversations yet to come, and so many conversations that you might not have listened to yet.
So we encourage you to go on cowboystatedaily.com, go to our podcasts. You can find them all there. You can get on our YouTube channel. And hey, if you have an idea for somebody that you think we should talk to, let me know! Just go ahead and send us an email, or get to us on social media. Because there are so many amazing personalities here in Wyoming, we just scratched the surface.
So thanks for tuning in today. Have a fantastic week.
