Anatomy of a Broadcaster: Gus Johnson

On his Wikipedia page, Gus Johnson “is well-known for his enthusiastic play calling”. That’s kind of like saying Michael Jordan was a pretty good basketball player. Enthusiastic when it comes to Johnson may be the understatement of the century. Johnson is sometimes known as “Screaming Gus” because that “enthusiasm” gets multiplied by 10 even in situations that may not call for it. That’s his style, that’s his calling card and it has served him well over the years. 

Johnson is currently the lead play-by-play voice of college football and basketball on Fox. Before that, he was one of CBS’s top college basketball play-by-play voices from 1996 to 2011. He made watching the NCAA Tournament extremely interesting, especially games that were decided by a big play or in the final seconds. He’s all over YouTube with those calls and made him a sensation on the social video platform. While at CBS he also did NFL games and college football for the network. 

He did pay some dues along the way, working in local television in Waco, Texas, Huntsville, Alabama, Winston-Salem, N.C., and Washington, D.C. Along the way Johnson was the play-by-play voice for the Minnesota Timberwolves for a year. He did games on the Big East Network calling basketball and college hockey. Johnson also did boxing events for Showtime, the Knicks on MSG and Canadian Football League games on ESPN2. 

BEST KNOWN FOR

Catchphrases. Seriously. The man has a way with words when describing big plays during the course of a game. Here are just a few of the many usually uttered at some point by Johnson during a telecast. 

• “Hurt My Feelings!”
• “Oh my goodness!”
• “Rise and fire… Count it!”
• “From the parking lot!”
• “And the Runner….Bang!”
• “Pure!”
• “BAM!”
• “Hot Sauce!”
• “Cold-Blooded!”
• “HA-HAAA”.

Seeing these in print doesn’t do them justice. To hear them is to appreciate them. 

As mentioned, Johnson is well known for his work on CBS and the NCAA Tournament. It always seemed that he was assigned games that were going to have exciting endings. Here are some of his best calls:

1999 – Gonzaga v. Florida: Gonzaga was trying to establish itself into the program it became. They faced Florida in the Sweet 16 and the hero was Casey Calvary with a tip in with just over 5 seconds left. The final seconds sounded like this: 

“Shannon from the corner (buzzer sounds and ball falls short) and it’s over, GONZAGA: the slipper still fits! They win it 73-72.”

2006 – Gonzaga v UCLA: Gonzaga at one point had a 17-point lead in the game only to watch it slip away in the final seconds. With Gonzaga trying to protect a lead with 10 seconds left:

“And a steal! Farmar! Inside! The freshman! Up, oh, and they go in front! Raivio! Last chance to dance! Oh, what a game! What! A! Game! U-C-L-A! UN-BELIEVABLE! After being down by 17. Heart! Break! City!!!” What followed were the iconic shots of Adam Morrison hunched over on the floor weeping. 

2005 – Vermont v. Syracuse: First round game. One of the bigger upsets in the NCAA Tournament, as Vermont took down Syracuse on a big shot in OT by guard T.J. Sorrentine:

“Ohhhhhh! My goodness!!! Sorrentine! Hit that one from the parking lot!”

He’s had some memorable calls in College Football as well:

2017 – Johnson was the play-by-play announcer for the Week 1 matchup between Texas A&M and UCLA. The Bruins came back from a 34-point deficit to win 45–44, capped off by a fake spike touchdown from Josh Rosen with 43 seconds left to go. Johnson’s play of the call:

“Rosen fakes the spike… in the endzone, TOUCHDOWN! WOAH! Jordan Lasley! The legend of Josh Rosen… in full bloom! Dan Marino would be proud!”

2017 – Johnson on the call of a college football game between Ohio State and Maryland. After Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward laid a vicious hit on Maryland receiver Taivon Jacobs. Though the play ultimately resulted in Ward’s ejection from the game, Johnson had a field day: 

“Second down after the 7-yard gain… [Maryland QB] Bortenschlager to the sideline, caught, first down. [Ward levels Jacobs, causing a fumble] Whoo! What a hit! Denzel Ward! You’ve got barbecue back there, and you didn’t invite me? Hurt! My! Feelings!”. 

WHY IS HE SO GOOD?

Johnson’s style is unique, that’s something that separates him from a lot of other quality broadcasters. The energy level he brings to the games he calls is unmatched. It’s hard to think of how exhausted he must be after a broadcast, exerting that much exuberance and not really taking too many plays off. That peak is tough to achieve and prolong for the entirety of a basketball or football game. Impressive. 

Even those that may not exactly like the over-the-top style, stay to hear what he may say in certain situations. There are few announcers around with the ability to keep you watching a game even if you have no rooting interest in it. The words, the emphasis and enthusiasm keep you glued to that particular game. He is a fan and draws you in with his passion and excitement. 

The style isn’t everything. When it comes down to it, Johnson is a solid play-by-play guy. While the flash may get the headlines and YouTube hits, the man knows what he’s doing. All the basic principles are there. You know the score, the time left, where the ball is and everything that is necessary to view the game. You just get it at a high energy level that is pretty much unmatched. While he does come right at you with catch phrases and rapid-fire words, he knows how to let a moment speak for itself too.

He will “lay out” to let the pictures tell, the rest of the story, if you will. Sometimes those that give you over-the-top broadcasts do it because they don’t have the basics mastered and try to get by with flash. Johnson is a rare case where the substance and the flash are both executed flawlessly. 

CONCLUSION

While he may not be for everyone, Gus Johnson certainly provides an entertaining call no matter the sport. The amazing thing to me is that with all the hoopla and catchphrases he never overshadows his analyst. The respect for his partner and the game itself is evident and those in the know, realize how important both of those elements are as a play-by-play announcer. Keep “rising and firing” Gus Johnson. 

Andy Masur

Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.