It was hard enough for Mississippi State fans to accept the retiring of Cristil in 2011, but now that the iconic and talented voice of the Bulldogs is no longer here, fans are saddened and lost without a guiding voice.
Mississippi State would not be who they are without Jack Cristil. He was as much a part of State as any tradition, any player, any coach, or any scholar. He was the voice of this school and in the hearts of fans everywhere.
Jack Cristil was hired by C.R. Dudy Noble in 1953, and his first game was a victory over Memphis State. He began broadcasting for the basketball team as well in 1957. During his 58 years at Mississippi State, he called 636 football and 1,500 total contests. He broadcasted over 60 percent of the total Mississippi State football games in the school's history and almost 55 percent of the basketball games. His last football game was the memorable 52-14 Gator Bowl victory over Michigan in 2011, and his last basketball game was a 70-69 victory over Tennessee in 2011.
During his long career, Cristil was honored with many awards. In 1988, he was named Southeastern Conference’s Broadcaster of the Year. He was awarded the Mississippi Sportscaster of the Year a record 21 times. He received the Ronald Reagan Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters in 1992. He became the first non-coach/athlete to be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, in 1991.
As someone who has dreams of becoming a sportscaster, it was always Jack Cristil that I looked up to. I still remember getting out the radio for away games and listening to his broadcasts. Even though I had the TV right in front of me, it did not quite compare to Cristil. My parents still recall the days when they did not have a million different TV channels to watch games, so they would listen raptly to their radio as Jack brought them to the game. He always told it how it was; if we were terrible, so be it. He did not sugar coat it, nor was he overly obnoxious about State during the games. He called what he knew, and that was football and basketball.
It takes a lot to become a part of something bigger than yourself, but Cristil was just that. He was one of the biggest parts of Mississippi State history. He was not someone that will just go away in the passing years; he will be a landmark for the University and the lives of fans everywhere. He will be truly missed and will always live on as an icon for Mississippi State and sportscasters everywhere.
If you have never been lucky enough to hear the sounds of a state game being called by Cristil, do yourself a favor and listen to one. One last time, let’s wrap it in maroon and white and remember the great man that brought us more than just a broadcast for so much of his life.
