Morry Mannies... Hall of Famer

From a release from BSU...

Morry Mannies, who has served as the radio “Voice of the Cardinals” for the past 53 years, will be inducted into the Indiana Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame Oct. 1 at The Fountains in Carmel, Ind.

Mannies, who serves as Ball State’s play-by-play announcer for both football and men’s basketball, has broadcast over 5,300 Ball State and high school games and logged over 35,000 hours behind the microphone. He began broadcasting Ball State games while a freshman at the university. He received his bachelor’s degree from Ball State in 1960 and his master’s from the university in 1964.

In addition, the Mannies family established the Morry E. Mannies Sportscasting Scholarship in the summer of 2007. The scholarship, which was established by Mannies and his children Julie and Jeff, benefits Ball State juniors or seniors majoring in telecommunications who have a declared interest in sportscasting, have acquired sportscasting experience at Ball State and have high academic achievements as a student.

Mannies is a three-time winner of the Indiana Sportscaster of the Year Award and is a three-time recipient of the Mid-American Conference Sportscaster of the Year honor. He has been inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame, the MAC Hall of Fame, the Delaware County Hall of Fame and the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame. Mannies was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame as its Silver Medal Award recipient in 2002.

A recipient of the Ball State University Alumni Association Beneficence Award in 1985, Mannies was awarded the Alumni Association’s highest honor when he received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005.

Mannies will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with 1968 Ball State alum Tom Cochrun, who served as the main anchor at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis from 1986-95, and was news director at WISH-TV in Indianapolis from 2003-06. Also being inducted in October are Dick Baldwin, David Goodnow, Jimmy Mack and Anne Ryder.

Mannies has closed every Ball State broadcast for the past 53 years with his patented saying, “Good Night and Good Sports”.

Love him or hate him, the guy IS Ball State sports. Instantly recognizable, by sweater or voice, Mannies was cut from the same cloth as many of the best sportscasters of his day and time.

I've been fortunate enough to follow two programs with absolute legends at the microphone. For Kentucky, it was Cawood Ledford. And Ball State's Ledford is Morry Mannies. Two men who were both simply outstanding at what they did and let their passion for their respective games and schools bleed through the speakers one syllable at a time.

In a time when the sports media landscape is dominated by those who simply talk longer or louder than everyone else, who fling opinion and vitriol until something resonates, it's nice to see broadcasting bodies honor those who simply did exactly what they were called to do without going overboard and doing it better than most anyone else. Congrats to Morry!