‘The Voice of the Sooners’ Bob Barry Sr. Passes Away
Former Oklahoma Sooner, Tulsa Golden Hurricane and Oklahoma State Cowboys announcer Bob Barry Sr. passed away yesterday at the age of 80 in Norman, OK.
Barry called football and men's basketball games for the Oklahoma Sooners from 1961-1972 and 1991-2011 and spent 50 years in sports broadcasting.
Oklahoma President David Boren said, "Bob Barry represented the best of the Sooner spirit. With his contagious enthusiasm, he was one of the best sports broadcast journalists in the entire nation. He was loved by Oklahomans all across our entire state and will be missed by all of us."
In the latter stages of his career, Barry was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
In addition to his work on radio, Barry worked for Oklahoma City's KFOR-TV from 1966-2008. Barry Sr. made sports a family affair, working with his son Bob Barry Jr. for 25 years at KFOR. The younger Barry is currently the Sports Director at KFOR and a talk show host at The Sports Animal in Oklahoma City.
Toby Rowland, who replaced Bob Barry Sr. on the Oklahoma Sooner football broadcasts this season talked about Barry, "I never saw Bob have a bad day. He loved life. And he loved his job. Even after 50 years of broadcasting he would show up at the stadium like a kid in a candy store. His play by play style was unmistakable, but it is his gentle, kind and fun-loving spirit that I will always remember. His advice and words of wisdom will forever be cherished in my heart. This is a tremendously sad day, but I rejoice that Heaven just got a Legend."
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