This season will mark the 40th for Joe Smith, the longtime radio host for Indiana University. After this season’s football campaign, it will be his last.
The pre-game, halftime and post-game voice of Indiana Hoosiers football and basketball has announced he will be stepping away from his post following the final football game of this upcoming season.
“Joe Smith has been an integral and versatile member of the IU Radio Network broadcast team for the better part of 40 years,” Don Fischer, Indiana’s play-by-play man said. “At one time or another, Joe has served as the broadcast engineer, football spotter, statistician, and our pre-game, halftime, and post-game host through those four decades.”
Smith quipped that it’d be difficult to keep him from being alongside Fischer for his own milestone. “I would not miss Don’s 50th season for anything in the world. Don is a true friend and to share the booth with him one final year, well, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Smith plans to remain on as host of the football post-game show, while mentoring his eventual replacement. He also serves as Sports Director at Sarkes Tarzian talk WGCL Bloomington (1370).
Retirement has been a popular topic recently with collegiate vocal institutions. Mick Hubert, the voice of the Florida Gators announced last week he is retiring following the baseball team’s season. Gene Deckerhoff also announced he will wrap his career soon. The voice of the Florida State Seminoles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will finish with the Bucs 2022 season.
In 1998, Smith was named Indiana Sportscaster of the Year. He was honored 2003 with an induction into the Indiana Sportswriters/Sportscasters Hall of Fame. Last August he was the latest inductee into the Monroe County (Bloomington) Sports Hall of Fame.
Smith continued, “IU has meant so much to me and my family, and I can’t wait to watch [football] Coach Allen build the Hoosiers back into a Top-25 program. I also want to thank [VP/Director of Intercollegiate Athletics] Scott Dolson for his support and for allowing me to close out my IU career on this incredible high note.”
