Ode to Gus Johnson

After watching replays of George Mason’s thrilling finish over Villanova last week, I realized why there was heightened excitement compared to other games last weekend. The most underrated play by play announcer in sports today was calling the game, Gus Johnson. While he is not a household name, like Al Michaels or Marv Albert, and you would not recognize him walking down the street, like John Madden or Charles Barkley, you would recognize his voice.

His exciting style turns any bucket into a game winner, while monotone Joe Buck could turn a World Series winning homerun into a snoozefest. While Johnson is noted mostly for his NCAA basketball coverage for CBS, he also announces NFL games including these memorable endings recently:

Last year, he was the voice of the Madden videogame and now even has a soundboard for his famous catch phrases. I want him around announcing my life… “Here comes the email, count it!” “The laundry is done, unbelievable!”