Legendary College Football Announcer Keith Jackson Dies

Legendary college football announcer Keith Jackson has died.

Legendary college football announcer Keith Jackson died Friday night, reports Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. 

He was 89 years old.  

Jackson was considered by many to be "the voice" of college football, broadcasting the sport for 50-plus years. His iconic "Whoa Nellie" catchphrase was a regular part of Saturdays for years. 

While he's most known for his college football coverage, he covered the NFL, MLB the NBA, boxing, auto racing, golf and the Olympics. He also covered the 1964 Republican National Convention with legend Walter Cronkite. 

He attended the 2017 Rose Bowl game, which was his first college football game since retiring from broadcasting in 2006. The last game he called of career was the famous BCS title game on Jan. 4, 2006, when Texas beat USC.

'4th and 5' — Keith Jackson's final call

(via trivinity/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/7bgGJrdkao

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 13, 2018

The broadcast level inside the Rose Bowl stadium was named the Keith Jackson Broadcast Center in his honor in 2015. 

'He communicates to Middle America in a way that can only be envied'

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Keith Jackson had some distinguished admirers

From our February '79 issue ➡️ 'ABC's Keith Jackson: A Hoss of a Broadcaster' https://t.co/yykqDB8hdQ

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 13, 2018

He is credited with nicknaming the Rose Bowl, "The Granddaddy of Them All" and Michigan Stadium as the "Big House."

Read a story about him from Sports Illustrated's Vault here.