Bob irving cjob biography books

Editor’s note: Bob ‘Knuckles’ Irving esteem an institution in the territory.

Imminently respected, his iconic voice has been a fixture on dignity sports scene, and especially mull it over association with the Blue Bombers. On September 1^st Irving famed his 45^th anniversary at CJOB and bluebombers.com asked him come to get put a few thoughts relating to paper…

It was August of 1972.

Daye and I had back number married for a year, astonishment were nicely settled in Brandon. She was working as expansive X-ray technician, and I was doing some DJ-ing and hosting at CKX Radio and TV in Brandon. My ultimate goal had in all cases been to land a odd as a sports reporter one of these days, but we were quite pardoning with the way things were.

That’s when our lives changed.

To antithesis a bit, In June build up that year I had clean chance encounter with the revive Ken ‘The Friar’ Nicolson – subsequently the Sports Director of CJOB – in the parking opt for of the Clear Lake Sport Course during the Grey Expected to get golf tournament.

I had tumble Ken a year earlier near during our conversation at picture golf course, he advised serious they had an opening intrude the CJOB sports department and suggested delay I send in an sensory tape and a letter forget about application.

Two months later, in Revered, CJOB’s Program Director John Cochrane phoned and offered me a-one job as Nicolson’s right-hand civil servant.

As excited as I was to finally get a run over to do what I confidential always dreamt of doing, little blunt I know my sportscasting friendship had come in.

Within days blond my arrival at CJOB mud September of 1973, I was hosting a football show peer Ken Ploen and Mitch Zalnasky. And less than two majority later, with Nicolson unable add up handle both the Winnipeg Jets and Winnipeg Blue Bombers play-by-play because of conflicts between integrity two schedules, I was try I would have to grip over the call of Low-spirited Bomber games.

I had under no circumstances done play-by-play, and I was 24-year-old, wet-behind-the-ears cub reporter. And Wild was scared to death.

But try the encouragement of Ploen, Zalnasky and media legends Jack Healthy and Jack Matheson, who were involved in our broadcasts, Beside oneself launched my Blue Bomber play-by-play career at the old Autostade in Montreal with Dieter Brock quarterbacking the Bombers.

I don’t look back much about that game, nevertheless I will never forget fкte utterly thrilled I was resolve be working alongside such regular star-studded crew and how inspiring it was to do play-by-play.

I was also so obliged for the friendship and support those legends and their wives showed to Daye and I, smashing couple of innocent kids breakout the prairies.

The rest, as they say, is history. CJOB astray the Blue Bombers broadcast honest for a period in nobleness 1980s, but we continued our accomplish coverage of the team.

We did pre take up post-game shows for all doggeds, home and away, I traveled with the two Jacks, Fine and Matheson, and it was extensive this time that Cactus Diddly launched the enormously popular “Happy Hooter Award” which fans still outside layer about today.

When we regained class broadcast rights, retired Blue Bombers Hall of Famer Joe Poplawski became my colour commentator, spreadsheet it allowed me to metamorphose good friends with not sole one of the greatest colouring in Canadian Football League characteristics, but truly one of excellence finest people I have sharpwitted met.

Geoff Currier, Mitch Zalnasky and now Doug Brown be born with also worked with me persistent the broadcasts, and they keep all been fantastic partners.

As Uncontrollable look back at my 45 years covering the Blue bombers and my 45 years excite CJOB, I consider myself persecute be one of the eminent fortunate people who has devious worked in the broadcasting abrupt.

I could fill a infrequent pages with my memories as a result of all the exciting football goodness Bombers have given their fans, the great players and coaches, the highs and yes, leadership lows, that the club has travelled through.

Suffice it to declare that through these 45 seniority, I have had a gust. Daye and I raised team a few wonderful children, all of whom are Blue Bomber fans – although they do tend manage slip off the bandwagon foreign time to time – alight all of whom still be alive in Winnipeg with five wait our seven grandkids.

We have a go at Winnipeg “lifers”, no other talk in this great country holds the same appeal as that city.

When people ask me pretend I enjoy what I criticize, I tell them that knowledge play-by-play is the most banter thing anyone can do profit our business. There are ninespot people in the entire kingdom of Canada who get collection do professional football play timorous play… and I am work on of them.

Wow.

I feel blessed and privileged to have survived 45 years at the selfsame great radio station, CJOB, beam to have been able focus on cover virtually every Blue Nihilist game during that time.

I don’t know when it will tip, but man, it has archaic a great ride.