Pavelka Makes It Clear:Deal Is For Basketball Only

Kent Pavelka says you can stop the speculation that he'll be calling Nebraska football games come this time next fall.

"This is about basketball only," Pavelka said. "They (Host Communications) made it clear Jim is the football guy and I'm the basketball guy and that's the way it's going to be."

News that Pavelka was returning to press row to call Nebraska basketball games this season fueled rumors that the broadcast veteran might someday return to being the voice of Husker football on radio broadcasts.

Pavelka was the Nebraska basketball play-by-play man from 1974 to 1996. He called Husker football games from 1983 to 1996. For basketball, he will replace Randy Lee, who was the play-by-play voice the past four seasons.

The decision to replace Lee with Pavelka was made by Husker Sports Network general manager Kevin Moore. The Husker Sports Network is the former Pinnacle Sports Network, which was bought out by Host Communications earlier this month.

"To get a personality like Kent Pavelka is significant," Lee told the Lincoln Journal Star.

Lee will continue to be a part of the Nebraska football broadcast team, along with Jim Rose (play-by-play) and Adrian Fiala (color). Monday's announcement that Pavelka would be calling Nebraska basketball led to discussion on several sports talk radio shows and speculation by Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel.

KXSP (590 AM) afternoon host Matt Perrault devoted an entire hour on "The Big Show" to invite listeners to weigh in with their opinion on whether Pavelka should replace Rose on Husker football broadcasts. Calls ran 3-to-1 in Pavelka's favor.

Perrault also pointed out discrepancies in Rose's play-by-play call of the Nebraska-Troy State game using actuality sound from the Husker Sports Network broadcast.

Pavelka did the play-by-play for two Nebraska basketball games last year and one the year before. When Host took over last week, Pavelka said he got a phone call, asking if he was interested in the job. He said he will relish the chance to get behind the mic full-time after being unable to come to contract terms with Pinnacle Sports in 1996.

"This just feels really good because the way things ended 10 years ago was wrong on so many levels," he said. "To get a chance to not leave it on that note means a lot to me."