The Voice
of Aggieland
Speaks

Don't Touch That Dial

Long before he built a career on AM frequencies across the state, South grew up on local stations in Wichita Falls, Texas. Like many of his generation, he has fond memories of getting his news and entertainment from the radio. “I liked how it made me use my imagination,” he said. By age 10, South listened to Major League Baseball games, scored them on paper and delivered his own broadcast of each game looking over his backyard as if it were Dodger Stadium.

During his tween years, he saved enough money from working a local paper route to buy record players, tape recorders, a microphone and a mixer and built a makeshift radio station in his closet. He dubbed the station KDAV and invited boys from his neighborhood to appear as guests on his show. But KDAV shut down operations when South got his first job at a real radio station at 16. “When I finished the audition tape,” he recalled, “the station’s program director looked at me and asked, ‘Where have you worked before?’”

From there, the enterprising young broadcaster bounced from station to station, eventually working under the longtime “Voice of the Baylor Bears” Frank Fallon, who took South under his wing. “He answered every question I asked,” South remembered, “and he showed me how to meticulously prepare.” Years later, South would spend almost every weeknight leading up to each game organizing notes to help him bring the sights and sounds of Aggieland game days to stereos across the nation.

"He Got a Touchdown!"

Before he worked for Texas A&M, South was an announcer for the Southwest Conference Radio Network, where he called his first Aggie football games and other conference matches. There, he fell so in love with radio sales work that he walked away from sports broadcasting in 1984 to take it up full time.

But months later, Texas A&M’s athletics department called seeking someone to assume play-by-play duties for a year while they searched for a permanent announcer. “Of course, that one year turned into 35,” South remarked. After the first season, he took up the mantle permanently, adding baseball and basketball duties soon after.

The longer he spent in College Station, the more he appreciated the university’s values and the 12th Man’s electrifying roar. He embraced the “homer” role, delivering sparse commentary during losses and thunderous celebrations during victories. “People told me they could tell how well the team was doing by the tone of my voice.” His most iconic call came during the heart-stopping 1998 Big 12 championship game, in which the Aggies took down title contender Kansas State University in double overtime. “At the 20, at the 15, at the 10, at the 5, he is almost—He got a touchdown! He got a touchdown! He got a touchdown!”

Aggies predominantly remember South for calling big moments in big games, but he always emphasized professionalism and making meaningful relationships throughout his career. Though radio’s preeminence waned during his tenure in the booth, he always felt the love from fans. Some told him that they turned down their TV volume to listen to his calls while watching the game instead.

When he retired, longtime listeners sent letters about the wave of nostalgia they felt upon hearing his voice. One former student wrote, “You brought more joy to more people than I think you know.” Looking back, South is nothing if not grateful. “God really blessed me,” he said. “I don’t have any regrets.”