New book about Claude Sullivan

While Cawood Ledford rightfully is remembered as a Kentucky broadcasting legend, he followed another legend — Claude Sullivan — who is not nearly as well known by UK fans as he should be.

Sullivan’s son, Alan, hopes a new book — Voice of the Wildcats: Claude Sullivan and the Rise of Modern Sportscasting — by him and Joe Cox can help show fans the way his father rose to prominence. Claude Sullivan called the first four NCAA championships that UK coach Adolph Rupp won. He changed the coverage of the UK football program by starting a coach’s show with Paul “Bear” Bryant, something that was not being done anywhere else in the country. Sullivan eventually became the voice of the Cincinnati Reds and even worked the 1960 summer Olympic Games in Rome.

Claude Sullivan, who died of throat cancer when he was only 42 in 1967, was a national treasure and the book features interviews with Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones, Babe Parilli, Cliff Hagan, Ralph Hacker, Jim Host, Billy Reed, Rupp and Ledford.

So what inspired Alan Sullivan to be part of this book?

“My father saved 30 boxes of memorabilia plus all the tapes of games that have been restored and are available on line at http://kdl.kyvl.org/catalog/xt754746qt9q/guide,” said Sullivan. “There was so much information, is was too difficult to ignore.

“The project started with getting information about Claude Sullivan for the Basketball Museum in 1998. The audio clips will be in the ebook version which will follow the book, and you can actually hear the highlights of games and interviews as you read.”

The book is scheduled to be out Aug. 22 and should be available in book stores in Lexington, Louisville, Elizabethtown and Bowling Green as well as through online sources.

“Once you have the book, you can send a photo of yourself with the book to University Press and get a free ebook with the 28 enhanced audio clips embedded also to follow the text. This is the first time University Press has published a book with enhanced audio clips,” Sullivan said.

“Those that were fortunate enough to have witnessed or can remember the games accounted for in the book, you will be taken back to some great moments in UK and Cincinnati Reds history, from Bear Bryant, Babe Parilli, Adolph Rupp, Wah Wah Jones, Frank Robinson and Pete Rose,” Alan Sullivan said.

NBC-TV sportscaster Tom Hammond said he “grew up listening to Claude Sullivan call UK football and basketball” when the radio play-by-play voice was the one who painted pictures for fans because games were not on TV. Hammond says any UK fan will enjoy this book and that’s what Alan Sullivan wants.

“I hope fans learn great memories of Claude's calls and interviews from his audition interview tape from 1944 to the Texas Western game in 1966. (Current UK radio play-by-play broadcaster) Tom Leach told me that he was too young to remember Dad but that after hearing his football tapes before the Outback Bowl, that he now knows what he missed,” Alan Sullivan said.

“I hope the book reminds fans of the great talent he was, especially since he was gone at the age of 42 after such a rich career. He accomplished much and had extensive travels as well. I think the book will show by the interviews how much Claude was respected not only as a talent, but as a person and mentor.”

Alan Sullivan has his own special memories of his father.

“There are many but some of my favorite memories are of working with Dad and my brother at Memorial Coliseum and Stoll Field and getting to go to the locker room to get Adolph after the basketball games for his interview with Claude,” Alan Sullivan said. “At Stoll Field I remember the stories Dad told of Bear Bryant and what he did with the team — and then after interviewing Parilli for the book hearing through his own accounts those same memories.”

He was really great on the mic. Would watch the game live, then rush back to listen to him call the game on tape delay

Tried the link an got message "page does not exist".

Is it just me or what a cruel irony that a radio broadcaster died of throat cancer?

His voice was his tool and that disease took it from him. Man that is harsh.

Thanks Larry. Looking forward to reading the book.

Larry, thanks for letting us know about the book and providing the link. I will have the book added to my wish list.

For my generation Claude was the voice of the Wildcats and for one or two years the voice of the Cincinnati Redlegs. It was so sad that he got the Cincy job just before the throat cancer was diagnosed. He could have been one of MLB's legendsClaude was professional in every way. He described every bit of the action. I can still remember the sound of his voice calling out the names Crigler, Cox and Beck. Or Deeken and Nash. And what Kentucky fan has not heard his call of the shot by Vernon Hatten against Temple at the Coliseum in '57? Claude's voice was a big part of my childhood. As much as I loved Cawood, Claude was the voice. It's a shame the University has not given him the recognition he so richly deserves.

Mick,

I have not heard Sullivan's call of Vernon's shot but I sure hope to find it. I love Cawood but that affection and respect doesn't keep from wanting to know more about Sullivan and his role as the Voice of the Cats too. This is definitely on my Christmas list of books.

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Originally Posted by UKHistory

Mick,

I have not heard Sullivan's call of Vernon's shot but I sure hope to find it. I love Cawood but that affection and respect doesn't keep from wanting to know more about Sullivan and his role as the Voice of the Cats too. This is definitely on my Christmas list of books.

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Many of Claude's calls are on the Greatest Moments in Kentucky Basketball an album released circa 1970. I have found a link to it several times on the internet. That call as much as anything captures the magic of Memorial Coliseum. Claude had a very smooth voice, something Cawood did his very best to emulate. Claude and Cawood for a number of years had competing broadcasts of UK games. There were no exclusive rights to the games in the early 60's. Claude was on the statewide Standard Oil Network with WVLK as the flagship station. Cawood along with Jack Koch broadcast the games on the clear channel signal of WHAS.

I knew Cawood a bit back in the day. We worked across the street from each other for about 10 years and frequented the same watering hole after work. There was no doubt that even though they were competitors that Cawood had a ton of respect for Claude. He was as upset with Claude's illness and death as anyone. At least that is the way he always described it. But Cawood's low key, mellow description of the action on the court was a reflection of the style perfected by Sullivan. There was no one better at setting the stage and describing the action than Sullivan.

IIRC Sullivan worked with Waite Hoyt on the Redlegs' broadcasts for Waite's last years. They were replaced by Jim McIntyre and Joe Nuxhall when Sullivan died. Jim was there when they opened Riverfront Stadium and was then replaced by Marty Brennaman. But for my money Sullivan was the best of all of those broadcasters. No one was close.

Sullivan was before my time so I've not heard any of his calls. I would crawl 15 miles under a barbed wire fence to hear Cawood do play by play on a cooking show. Never liked Hacker much. His name said it all. Absolutely love the excitement Tom Leach brings to the broadcast.

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Originally Posted by HCCATFAN

Tried the link an got message "page does not exist".

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Please try this one

And there are several online resellers listed at this Google link

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Originally Posted by dan_bgblue

Please try this one

And there are several online resellers listed at this Google link

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The above link takes you to information about the book.

The original link earlier in this thread was meant to take people to the audio files. The correct address for that link is:

http://kdl.kyvl.org/catalog/xt754746qt9q/guide