Kevin Kugler saw his share of off-the-beaten-path venues during his years as play-by-play man for the former Omaha Racers basketball team. Be it the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany, N.Y., or the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D., there are hardly first class accommodations when it comes to radio broadcasting in the Continental Basketball Association.But 10 years later, Kugler finds himself calling the action for the Westwood One radio network in much more mainstream arenas at some of college's biggest sporting events. This weekend, he'll be courtside at UCLA, when the Bruins basketball team takes on Arizona. Next weekend, he'll be in Tucson, Ariz., when North Carolina comes to town.
"I traveled all day last Thursday (to the Hula Bowl), spent Friday and Saturday in Honolulu, did the game Sunday and then flew back on the red eye after the game," Kugler said. "Then I came in and did "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" (on KOZN, 1620 AM) and collapsed at home after watching the first four hours of 24."
During college football season, Kugler teamed with former Auburn Coach Terry Bowden on Westwood One's broadcasts. The Hula Bowl was one of his biggest challenges, he said.
"It is more difficult to do an all-star game than I anticipated, because it's not a team based game," he said. "It's all individual stuff, and very personnel related. It's more of an analyst game than even a regular season game, so I'm glad Terry was there with me to carry the breakdown aspect of these players."
Kugler said the Liberty Bowl was both a great game to call and a fun one to watch. Steve Spurrier's Carolina Gamecocks held off a late charge by Houston to win, 44-36.
"I think what stood out the most was the offensive play of both teams," he said. "They were head and shoulders above the defense for both teams, and I think when you get to a bowl game, you'd much rather see offense than defense."
After basketball, Kugler will call the College World Series for Westwood One for the fourth straight year. And next year?
"I'm certainly hoping they have me back to do games because I absolutely loved it. But in this business, who knows?"
57 comments:
Thanks, Nick.
What happened to Rick Schweigert? He was the stadium voice of the Huskers, and then left to do play-by-play (is that the proper nomenclature) for the NASCAR Truck Series on the Speed Channel.
Someone please get something going at Pinnacle to fire Jim Rose and hire Kevin Kugler as the football play by play guy.
Rose is an embarrasment to the State and the University. Kugler is a proven talent. A great football program needs a great announcer. Kugler is the perfect fit for the job.
Yes let's have someone announce University games that has burned all bridges with the current administration.
Kugler made his bed when he took the direction his sports talk show went after Solich was fired. There is no way in h%ll that he gets a sniff at Husker PbP...nor should he.
Now he whines about being shut out by the AD....oh well!! He's not hurting too bad with his national gig.
When has he ever whined about being shut out by the AD? And for that matter, has anyone ever asked him if he would want the Husker job? Wouldn't that be a step down from where he is now?
"When has he ever whined about being shut out by the AD?"
Do you listen to his show????
Every radio station that is not part of the Husker radio network is shut out by the University, so it's just not their show.
I enjoy Kugler doing play by play. Although I dont think Jim Rose is as bad of a play by play guy as people think he is, he needs to take off the rose colored glasses once in a while and criticize when needed.
Read his interview in the Reader last month if you don't think he whines about how the current administration tries to distance themselves from him. His juvenile humor that often belittles those who remain positive about the Husker program certainly make him popular with the Todd & Tyler unibrow crowd, though.
He's not bad as a play by play guy for teams he doesn't have an axe to grind against for daring to not continually repeat the success of '93-'97 NU by running a certain offense with certain coaches (who retired). His lack of personality and knowledge keeps him just bland enough to handle such a national opportunity without offending many, so let's just appreciate that he has found his niche and hope it taked him off of local radio airwaves where his girlish mannerisms and snide humor have had the chance to establish themselves and become tired.
I heard him on Westwood One calling a game. When I heard him call the game, all I could think of was "what barrel did they scrape him from the bottom". Living in DC I had not heard his local show and much to my chagrin, he comes from Nebraska. When anything happens on the field, his voice gets higher than the lead from the Vienna Boys Choir and cracks more than a pre-pubscent male looking at his first Playboy. And what really makes the broadcast special, is how Tommy Bowden looks in comparison. Beside Mr. Kugler, Tommy Bowden ends up sounding like Vin Sculley.
Kugler works with Terry Bowden, not Tommy.
The Nebraska pbp job would be a step down for anyone doing national games. Plus he would have to answer to SP which can't be easy.
I really have to chuckle when I read comments that think that Kugler is anti-Nebraska. Some people just can't accept criticism. It's okay to disagree with Kugler...or with Steve Pederson.
How dare someone like this snivilling punk succeed in a business where only the butt kissers and the brown-nosers should thrive.
Instead of schilling for an athletic director with a huge ego to feed, this Kugler bastard is putting on an entertaining show. The nerve!
Oooooooh! He's making fun of the A.D. again! This is the most awful radio I've ever heard! Goodness knows Rush Limbaugh would never stoop so low as to parody public figures.
If it was ever obvious that the ratings system is broken, it's that they keep listing the Zone clowns as the top afternoon show in Omaha. Nobody in Nebraska appreciates humor and entertainment. Sports is serious business for serious people and should always be that way.
Carry on.
Sideous
I think that you really need to define what you mean by top........they are in a three way tie for 16th out of 19 stations according to the last Arbitron book beating only a spanish station.
So you're comparing Kevin Kugler to Rush Limbaugh?????
Does Rush Limbaugh ever wine about not being included as a speaker at the Democratic National Convention?
No, I wouldn't dare compare Kugler to Limbaugh.
Last time I checked, Kugler doesn't have a drug problem.
Leave us.
Sideous
Come on Sideous, what did you mean by top....., next to last in ratings? Is your scale so low? Wow, you might want to expand your horizons.
I believe Sideous was referring to "Unsportsmanlike Conducts" ratings for their time slot against other talk shows. In the overall 12+ ratings 1620 is near the bottom but always seems to be above Big Sports 590, unless someone has access to the arbitron ratings with the breakouts we will just have to take Unsportsmanlike Conducts word for it. I'm a big Husker fan and I like the show and listen everyday and know many other people who listen to them, that's all I can go by. It's funny how people come down on Kugler for poking fun at or questioning the administration in Lincoln while Journal employees like TNT refer to the show opposite Perraults as a Husker homer show while Big Sports 590 seems to go out of their way to make everything a controversy in Lincoln while homering for the Jays.
I believe if you look at the breakouts, you will know what I mean.
It's a very successful show considering it's placement on the extended AM band and the all-sports nitch format.
Open your mind to things that are greater than overall 12+.
I will await your response, but I understand if you are delayed because Mr. Pederson is looking over your shoulder.
Actually I am looking at the breakouts only one segment would they be considered succesfull, overall for time slot, not close to winning
And with the Mr. Pederson comment, I will wait for you to get out of the 6th grade.
Not sure how the Pederson comment equates to being juvenile, but if it makes you happy, so be it.
Having sold radio before, for a sports format, you are looking at two major breakouts....Men 18-49 and Men 25-54. Looking at those breakouts in the last book, the show is atop the AM field, including the blowtorch at 1110.
Looking at the trend breakout (which is only men 18+) the show is number #2 in the market for men, behind a prominent FM station. That strikes me as pretty successful, but it is only a trend.
I think everyone agrees that Jim Rose is a butt kissing pansy ass fool. The NU broadcasts have become the Jim Rose show.
The NU program needs a good pbp guy. Rose is not it.
Kugler is good at his job. NU needs him
I think it's funny that everytime there is a story about sportscasting in this state, somehow it comes around to Jim Rose. The guy broadcasts to the largest audience of any media person in the state which means he's the biggest target. His style is clearly pro-Husker which is exactly what anybody else in his job would be. When Lyell and Kent did the games, they heard the same criticism. It's part of the job. It's easy for Kugler, et all to be favored by their fans because their guy isn't the "Voice of the Huskers." Why don't we quit bashing Rose and realize that regardless of who calls the Husker games, his detractors will come out. Also, have you ever heard Rose say anything or post anything bashing the petty clowns who rip him? You may not like his style, but the guy has class, knows his stuff, is prepared for each game and certainly doesn't deserve some of the stuff people say about him.
well said. I agree.
Rose works for a company which is basically a marketing arm of the University. How many times would you be able to bash your company's biggest client and stay employed? Give the guy some slack. Geez. Some of this sounds like petty jealousy.
I know a lot of people who think Kugler is jealous of Rose because Kugler really wanted to be the Husker guy. I think his parodies of Rose are stupid.
I think Rose is great. His "Touchdown Nebraska!" is very cool. He knows football and does stuff that Kent and Lyell never did...i.e. blitzes, coverages, WR routes. Yeah, he gets fired up when the Huskers have a big play but so do the fans! And unlike some pxp guys, he gives the other team credit when they do something and he gives fair criticism to the Huskers when they desserve it. Chill out on Rosie! He's the man!
Rose has class?
Ask Gary Sharpe and Jon Bishop if Rose has any "class." He pretty much ran those two guys out of the broadcast booth in baseball.
Is Fiala next?
FWIW, I used to work in the NU Athletic Dept....Rose had nothing to do with Sharp and Bishop. There was a meeting and the old Pinnacle boss is the one who blew them out. Rose lobbied some AD people to get Sharp and Bishop back. Pretty risky on his part, I thought.
So that's the legend developing now? Rose went to bat for Sharpe and Bishop? Where did he swing that bat? At their head or at their knees? Oh, and FWIW, I used to work in the NU Athletic Department too, and you are erroneous in your report.
This isn't a report. I was there. You weren't. So you know, Gary's name is spelled Sharp. So who's really erroneous?
FWIW, Sharp's name was also misspelled in the baseball media guide a few years ago.
So it really makes no difference.
And if its true the old Pinnacle boss had something to do with it, he's gone. Still bet Sharp and Bishop won't be back.
I think Rose really is a class guy. I'm a j-school student and one time he was a guest speaker. Somebody asked him about a "rivalry" with Kugler...considering Kugler tries to make fun of him on the air. Rose joked "he was glad to help out their show." He respected Kugler and thought he had the talent to make it big one day. This was BEFORE Kugler actually got the national gig. That's class to me.
Saying Rose has class is the same as saying Hitler promoted world peace.
When there is a fumble in a game, Rose says things like "He droppd the chalupa". He said that the punter from Nicholls state had varicose veins on his legs from punting so many times. There are hundreds of these every broadcast. Rose has no clue how to broadcast a game. These are comments you would expect from a junior high student not a professional broadcaster.
His facination with school mascots,uniform colors, and helmet logos is disturbing. It seems that is more important to him than the score, down and distance, etc.
Rose should be selling flowers, womens shoes or undergarments as it would better fit his talents.
No professional jealousy in that post.
11:01....chill Dude. Admit it, you don't like Rose's style! Instead of assasinating the guys character, go pound sand! I know a player from one of those small towns. They cream when Rose talks about the town and high school team. Isn't that what the Husker announcer is supposed to do? He broadcasts to fans! They love that stuff.
No, fans actually don't love that stuff....they'd rather hear what yard line the ball is on, what down it is, etc. Than more of the same "look how smart I am and how cute I can be" commentary that riddles every broadcast Rose ever does.
Fans would also like their announcer - when he does get excited - NOT to sound like Kermit the Frog having an orgasm.
It's funny that some people have suggested that Kugler is anti-Husker when he is the host of 'Big Red Wrap-Up' on NET with Fiala. I don't know how you can host that show and not be (at least act like you're) a Husker fan. As for Unsportsmanlike Conduct...anyone hosting a talk show makes outrageous comments. How else do they get people to call in, if not to disagree w/ the host? Kugler's just doing his job.
Some of you might think that Rose is a class individual, but class has to include humility and unselfishness. Two qualities Rose seems to be without. As for his ability to create a professional, accurate, enjoyable broadcast...Just listen to any other professional Big 12 announcer and see if you don't like their broadcasts better than Rose's attempts.
Rose needs to go and Kugler should be the voice of the Huskers.
Nothing else needs to be said. It is entirely about the skills required for the job. Kugler does a great job nationally and Rose, well he is just terrible.
wow 7:31. There must be strange freaky people in that town That is not normal behavior.
Kugler does a good job. He could get people excited about NU FB like Lyle used to do.
GBR
"No, I wouldn't dare compare Kugler to Limbaugh.
Last time I checked, Kugler doesn't have a drug problem.
Leave us.
Sideous"
Oh don't worry MS, I left you and your buddy a long time ago. I am happy for KK getting to do PbP if that's what he wants, it's just that he shouldn't expect things handed to him and not think that words don't have consequences.
Since when did Kugler expect anything to be handed to him?
If you have followed along in your textbook, you would know that Kugler doesn't want to be pinned down by one team. He prefers the network situation. See the Reader interview from December.
Oh, and Sideous is not Severe....
Show no mercy.
Sideous
Sideous,
If I were to read your textbook, Kugler should never bring the subject up on the air. It's much easier to say that you never wanted the Husker connection when you have a different one lined up. I have to admit I have not listened regularly for over a year; but that version he is giving now is a different version than what I used to hear through his sarcasm.
Wake up. Kugler does Big Red Wrap up because he is paid to. Not because he is a fan.
I would agree that in Rose's first year he went overboard a bit. But I have noticed a big improvement since. No more cutsie sayings..as far as not being able to follow the ball? I listen every week and have no problem. And funny, some people used to say the same thing about Lyle and Kent.
Jim Rose is not selfish. You do not know the guy. I'm a small market broadcaster trying to get ahead. I've tried making contact with a lot of major college play by play guys and talk show hosts. Jim is the ONLY one who takes the time to return my calls and offer encouragement. I used to connect with Kugler before he got "big time." These days he doesn't seem to have the time for us nobodys anymore. Meanwhile, Rose never forgets he was once one of us too...doing high school sports and trying to get ahead. And trust me, the fans in the small towns LOVE Rose when he brings up knicknames. You do not know Rose.
BTW, Rose does not sound like Kermit the Frog on the air....only when Kugler and Co. speed up his voice.
This is going to "date" me but I recall an Omaha World Herald article years ago ranking the various pxp guys. Bremser was dead last in accuracy. Don Gill in Lincoln was 1st in accuracy. Bremser was #1 in popularity. Gill was last. Translation: Fans want a partisan, colorful, creative guy. Rose understands this and takes risks. Sometimes they work, sometimes not. But the fans would hate him if all he did was give down and distance.
Ah...a Rose by any other name...
Yes, I'm sure he remembers being "one of you." That's probably because his skills are best served returning to that capacity rather than play-by-play at a major university.
Ask the people with the KC Royals what they think of Mr. Rose before he was chased out of that town.
Oh, 11:28....more professional jealousy. It's so unbecoming.
I think it's pretty obvious 11:28 that you're nothing but a pathetic hasbeen, wannabe or neverwill be in sportsbroadcasting. And that in order to get through each day you must resort to this kind of meanspirited baseless attack on somebody who has made it. It takes a really small person to act like you do. Jim Rose doesn't need me or anybody else to stand up on his behalf. I just hope you're simply a rotten fan and not a member of his profession.
This sounds like Rose and Kugler typing back and forth to each other.
No, actually it's Kent Pavelka arguing both sides with himself.
Oooooh, Adrian Fiala. Jim Rose is on this blog.
Maybe he'll call "The Vision" to defend him.
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