Rose Bowl Hall of Fame
1999 Inductee
Keith Jackson was widely regarded as the voice of college football by several generations. Jackson spent some 50 years calling the action in a folksy, down-to-earth manner that made him one of the most popular play-by-play personalities in the business.
Jackson got his start on the radio in 1952, broadcasting Washington State games, but went on to provide the national television soundtrack for the biggest games in the most storied stadiums. His colorful expressions -- "Whoa, Nellie" and "Big Uglies" among the many -- became part of the college football lexicon. Jackson also worked NFL and NBA games, 11 World Series and LCS, 10 Winter and Summer Olympics, and auto racing.
He was credited with nicknaming the Rose Bowl "The Granddaddy of Them All" and Michigan’s stadium "The Big House."
Jackson’s final broadcast was the 2006 Rose Bowl Game, the thrilling national-title showdown between USC and Texas that saw the Longhorns prevail over the Trojans with 19 seconds remaining.
He was the first member of the media inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2018.
