MSU: Cristil Clear
It's your typical red-brick American house on the outside. A small yellow ribbon and US flag adorn the mailbox, the lawn looks worn from the hot, dry Mississippi summers, and a screen door stands as the welcoming entrance. However, step inside, and everything changes. What is ordinary on the outside becomes extraordinary on the inside. Plaques adorn the white den walls, joining pictures of celebrities, athletes, and sports cartoons from the last several decades. Each item on the wall has a story to tell. However, as many stories as those walls could tell, it's the owner of the house that can tell even more: Jack Cristil, the voice of Mississippi State University.
When Jack Cristil was a young boy, listening to sports on his parents' radio had him intrigued. He knew early on that his calling was to do what he heard over the radio waves. After broadcasting minor league baseball in Jackson, Tenn., Anniston, Ala, and Memphis, Cristil would move to Clarksdale, Miss. He was covering Clarksdale High School football when he got a call, asking if he was interested in covering Mississippi State games.
Cristil jumped at the chance, and starting in September of 1953, he began to call MSU football. From 1953 untl his move to Tupelo in 1955, Cristil would drive across the state of Mississippi to cover Bulldog football games. The amazing part? Cristil took the job without ever signing a written contract, and even today, he's never signed a written agreement to cover MSU athletics, which might be the longest-lasting oral agreement between employer and employee that exists.
The memories of coaches and players stretch as long as his career. As Steve Spurrier brings his South Carolina Gamecocks to Starkville tomorrow night, Cristil remembers calling MSU-Florida games during Spurrier's successful Heisman campaign in 1966. While NFL and SEC fans marvel at the feats of Peyton and Eli Manning, Cristil remembers not only covering the Manning duo, but also their father, Archie Manning. He watched Bear Bryant roam the streets of Alabama, and helped paint the legends of SEC stars such as UGA's Herschel Walker, Auburn's Bo Jackson, and Tennessee's Reggie White.
As for great games...Cristil remembers many great moments as well. Some of his favorites were MSU's upset of then #1 Alabama, 6-3 in Jackson, the triumph over Warren Moon and Washington in Seattle, which Cristil described as one of the most magnificent settings he'd ever seen. Even the recent triumphs over Ole Miss in the Battle of the Golden Egg strike a chord inside his heart, which has pumped Bulldog maroon like few ever had.
During his tenure, Cristil has cared, and cares today, about keeping the classic traditions and style of the great radio announcers of his time. He emphasized his concern that TV announcers don't cover the game as well as they should.
"You can mute the TV and not miss a thing," Cristil said. "You have to paint a visual picture for the fans, and give them the whole picture and atmosphere of what's going on in the game."
Given his expertise, plus his passion for his job, his words of wisdom will definitely echo with me.
Spin never comes out of Jack Cristil. He is very genuine, but very direct as well. There's never a wasted word with Cristil. He really enjoys sharing his memories with those who will listen, and though I could go on forever with the people he's met and the stories he's told, they'd only cover a fraction of the amazing career he's had at MSU.
Whether you're a diehard Bulldog fan, or just a football fan in general, one is definitely blessed from having spent time with Jack Cristil. He's as dynamic a character as one will ever meet, and through the short time I got to spend with him, I learned not only a great wealth of Bulldog and SEC football, but I also got a lesson in quality journalism from a true legend in college football. For those of you who have the ability to listen to Cristil call a game, do so, and no matter the outcome, enjoy the sights and sounds of a true radio icon.
