Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2016
Many say athletics is the front porch to any university, and nobody brought more people onto that front porch than legendary “Voice of the Trojans” Ralph Black.
“For me, and for countless numbers of people, they first learned about Troy University in depth through Ralph’s outreach and his broadcasts,” Troy current broadcaster Barry McKnight explained.
“Ralph may be the most effective sales person, the most effective representative for Troy University that I have ever seen. Through Ralph, the gospel of Troy University was spread. Innumerable people got to know Troy and Troy Athletics because of Ralph Black.”
Black told the story of Troy for 26 years as the play-by-play broadcaster for Troy football, basketball and baseball. “Holy Mackerel” is a signature phrase that any fan of Troy during the 1980s will surely recognize, and the call came as Ted Clem booted a 50-yard field goal as time expired to win the 1984 NCAA Division II National Championship Game.Â
Remarkably, that was just one of four national championships that Black called during his career, as his voice painted the picture for the 1987 football national title, in addition to the 1986 and 1987 baseball national championships. Black was also part of the 1993 men’s basketball run to the national championship game.Â
“Not many people are as good as Ralph at capturing the big moments, at transmitting the passion of what’s going on. He was an excellent big game broadcaster, and Troy played in a lot of big games in his time. It was a great marriage of opportunity for him and opportunity for Troy to have a guy like Ralph call those big games. He made it that much more special.”Â
A native of Montgomery, Ala., Black called over 1,000 Troy sporting events from 1976 to 2002.
“Anybody in the radio business, particularly sports in Alabama, knows who Ralph Black is,” McKnight said. “I got to know him before I even came to Troy. When I came to Troy, he was a blessing and made my transition so much easier. That’s because his main concern was what’s always best for Troy. He never looked out for himself as much as he looked out for the benefit of others in the town and at the University.”
Black also helped build the Troy State Sports Network into one of the largest of its kind in Alabama, at one point comprising 18 stations.Â
“There were so many great players, so many great teams, so many great coaches and so many great personalities that would have been great no matter what, but so many people knew of them because of Ralph Black,” McKnight said. Â
“They would’ve existed in much more of a vacuum were it not for Ralph building that radio network literally with his own hands. He didn’t have a lot of help or a lot of resources, but he would go everywhere in his car and stop at radio stations all over the state and tell them why they should be part of the network.”
Black called 122 straight Troy football games, including Troy’s first season as a Division I member.Â
“Consistency is the most difficult part of broadcasting,” McKnight said. “Anybody can get on the air and tell you for three hours where the ball is and what the score is. To do it at a high level is much more difficult, and to do it in all the places that Ralph did day in and day out is really a commitment.
“Not only was Ralph so consistently there for every broadcast at a high level, but he also made it so entertaining. Anybody can get the games on the air, but Ralph not only lent a flair to each broadcast at a high level of preparedness and professionalism, but he also made it fun to listen to.”
Still an important voice in the Troy community, Black is an on-air personality at WTBF and he can be heard as the public address voice for Charles Henderson High School football in addition to several local high school radio broadcasts.
