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Turpin Time

Volleyball on WDWS radio - How It All Began

Posted by: Jim Turpin

Thursday, October 2, 2008 5:26 PM

Mike Hebert came to the Champaign Rotary one Monday noon so many years ago. He held up a volleyball and announced:

"This is a volleyball." Just in case some of us didn't know. (some didn't)

He had just been named volleyball coach at Illinois and he was intent upon drumming up some support, wherever he could find it. It didn't take long. We quickly found out that this game that many of us only played at picnics in the park was tremendously exciting and the young women who played it were exceptionally athletic.

Hebert's teams would rise to national prominence. Mary Eggers, Disa Johnson, Nancy Brookhart, Kirsten Gleis and others were the pioneers of big time volleyball as we know it now at Illinois under Don Hardin.

Hebert's Minnesota teams are nearly always among the nation's finest. He brings his team to Champaign Friday night (October 3rd) to face a much improved Illini squad.

The match will be broadcast on WDWS radio with Dave Loane calling the play-by-play, continuing a partnership between U of I volleyball and the station that began when Hebert was coaching at Illinois.

Hebert and former WDWS sales manager Jack Whitman had the idea that the Illinois program could gain terrific exposure if the games were on the air. I was the general manager at the time and I agreed it was worth a try.

Mike Kelly, who is now the radio play-by-play voice of the Missouri Tigers, was on our staff and was anxious to do the broadcasts, although he had no clue about the game itself much less how to broadcast it.

Under Hebert's guidance, Mike got the job done in grand style. Loane has continued as an award winning volleyball announcer on both radio and television.

When the Illini and the Gophers hook up Friday night I know I'll be thinking about Mike and Jack's idea. What a wonderful ride it has been.