Bob Davis, the longtime voice of Kansas Jayhawks basketball and football, has died, his family confirmed Friday via KU’s athletic department. He was 80.
Davis died just one week after the death of his wife Linda of more than five decades. A cause of death was not immediately released. Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self remembered Davis as an “unselfish person.”
“Bob was not only superior at his craft, but he was also a terrific, humble and unselfish person that gave so much of himself to so many,” Self said. “Our hearts go out to the entire family, especially with his wonderful wife Linda passing just last week.”
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Kansas Jayhawks broadcater Bob Davis speaks to the crowd upon his retirement after a game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse March 5, 2016, in Lawrence, Kan. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Self’s seventh-seeded Jayhawks were upset this week by Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament. Davis’ storied broadcasting tenure at Kansas began in 1984 and lasted until his retirement in 2016. He added his voice to some of the school’s greatest sports moments.
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There was the 1988 national championship team known as “Danny and the Miracles” for its star, Danny Manning, that was led by Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown. And the national title team 20 years later, led by Self, that became known for “Mario’s Miracle.” Mario Chalmers’ tying 3-pointer forced overtime against Memphis in the finals.
Retiring Kansas Jayhawks broadcaster Bob Davis is recognized by athletic director Sheahon Zenger during halftime of a game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., March 5, 2016. (John Rieger/USA Today Sports)
Davis covered eight trips by the Jayhawks to the Final Four, six bowl games in football and thousands of regular-season football and basketball games. Many were spent alongside Max Falkenstien, his predecessor and later his colleague and close friend, who spent 60 years broadcasting the Jayhawks before his retirement. Falkenstien died in 2019.
Former Kansas and North Carolina coach Roy Williams described Davis as a University of Kansas “giant.”
Logos of the Kansas Jayhawks and the Big 12 Dec. 4, 2018, at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Bob Davis was a fantastic announcer and loved KU,” Williams said. “I was a new coach, and he helped me immensely. He set the bar for all those I worked with later. He is a KU giant.”
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Davis also called the women’s Final Four for CBS six times, and he spent 16 years calling Kansas City Royals games on radio and television. He was voted the Kansas Sportscaster of the Year 14 times.
Davis is survived by his son, Steven, daughter-in-law Katie and four grandchildren.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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