Voice of the Razorbacks Dies in Car Accident
Tuesday August 01, 2006 1:04am   
Posted By: Patrick Green 
KATV.com
 
Paul Eells, the "voice of the Razorbacks" whose trademark "Touchdown, Arkansas!" call endeared him to generations of sports fans, is dead after a head-oncollision on Interstate 40 at Russellville. State police said the accident last night at 8:13 pm also took the life of the other driver, Billy J. Burton of Dover.

The 70-year-old Eells had served as sports director of Little Rock television station KATV for nearly three decades and also delivered play-by-play coverage of Arkansas Razorbacks football and basketball for radio and television.

Scoring plays weren't the only events that drew a characteristic response from Eells. Viewers or listeners perked up when they heard him utter the mild exclamation "Oh, my!" because they knew something interesting had happened on the field or the court.

A police report said Eells' car, eastbound near the Arkansas 331 exit from I-40, crossed the median and collided in the westbound lanes with a car driven by the 40-year-old Burton.

The report said she and Eells were both pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Eells was returning to his home at Little Rock after participating in a golf tournament for sports figures and the media at Fayetteville.

KATV said he had also interviewed Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt during the visit to northwest Arkansas.

Eells, a West Branch, Iowa, native, joined KATV in 1978.

He was named Arkansas Sportscaster of the Year eleven times and was also honored several times with an Associated Press award for bestsports play-by-play.

A graduate of the University of Iowa, he began his broadcast career with radio station KOKX in Keokuk, Iowa, as an announcer. He then moved to WMT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and from there to WSM radio and television in Nashville, Tennessee, where he did play-by-play for Vanderbilt until coming to Arkansas in 1978.
Paul Eells was 70 years old.

RIP :(

Prayers for the family.

Very sad.

Very sad....RIP:(

 
Fayetteville - The following are statements from Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles, UA head football coach Houston Nutt and UA head basketball coach Stan Heath on the late Paul Eells, voice of the Razorbacks. Eells was killed in a car accident on Monday night near Russellville, Ark. Eells was preparing for his 29th season as the UA football radio play-by-play announcer. He also hosted The Houston Nutt Show and The Stan Heath Show in addition to his duties as sports director at KATV in Little Rock.

UA Athletic Director Frank Broyles: “The Razorback family has lost a tremendous ambassador with the passing of Paul Eells. He was the consummate professional and always represented the state and the Razorbacks with the utmost class. His voice was distinctive and his calls of “Oh My!” and “Touchdown Arkansas” will continue to resonate with Razorback fans everywhere. He was a truly special individual that touched so many of our lives as a broadcaster and a friend. Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Vickie and the Eells family as we all grieve the loss of this special member of the Razorback family.”

UA Head Football Coach Houston Nutt: “This is a very sad day. He was a wonderful man. It’s a very sad day for Arkansas fans. I cannot give words to justify (what kind of man he was). Paul Eells, to me, is the ultimate professional, just the perfect person. I have never known anyone who did not like Paul Eells. I don’t think you say on this earth too many times about a person that no one disliked him. He never said a bad word about anyone, never.

“He was the voice. He was the voice that represented the state. He was the voice of the Razorbacks. He had a very defined voice and it was a gift that he had. People related to that and he was invited into everyone’s living rooms and into their families. Because of that voice, there is an immediate connection and a bond. Once they met him, at Razorback Clubs or meetings, they realized he was nicer then they had dreamed of. He was kinder then what they thought. The guy that they saw every night in their living room was talking to them.”

UA Head Basketball Coach Stan Heath: “Our basketball program is deeply saddened with the loss of Paul Eells. He was a great friend and one of the nicest people you could every meet. Our prayers are with his family and friends. He will be missed by me personally. Paul was one of the first people to welcome me into the Razorback family and his style of interviewing always made me feel comfortable. His personality never wavered. He was warm and friendly after a win, and he was warm and friendly after a loss.”

Schaeffer's Corner - August 1, 2006
Paul Eells - Model of Servanthood
Rick Schaeffer - ARSN Analyst/Columnist

Only the angels are rejoicing. The rest of us are left with a huge void in our lives as Paul Eells, one of the finest gentlemen who ever has graced us with his presence, has gone to spend eternity with the Lord.

Paul humbly and openly professed his love, trust and faith in Jesus Christ and he modeled that faith for all of us. He was gentle, kind, never boastful and treated everyone he touched as if that person was the most important person on earth.

Only when Frank Broyles eventually leaves the Razorbacks as athletic director will there be bigger shoes to fill in the world of Arkansas sports. Paul visited all of our homes, cars and businesses and told us every delicious detail of Razorback football. His trademark call, "TOUCHDOWN ARKANSAS!" thrilled thousands, even millions of Hog fans all over the world.

Paul was everyone's friend. He loved Lou Holtz, Ken Hatfield, Jack Crowe, Danny Ford, Houston Nutt, Eddie Sutton, Nolan Richardson and Stan Heath, even as he hosted their coaches' shows. They loved him back. I've never heard a coach Paul worked with say an unkind word about him. They knew how loyal and devoted he was and how he treasured their success more than he did his own.

Broyles loved him, too. He and Dale Nicholson of KATV brought Eells to Arkansas from Nashville, where he was the voice of the Vanderbilt Commodores. I still remember Coach Broyles handing me a reel-to-reel tape and asking me to listen to it as the University searched for a football and basketball play-by-play man. The first time I heard Paul's voice it was easy to determine how smooth it was. Once Paul was hired, he never left.

I had the privilege of working football and basketball broadcasts with him for many years. He never changed. He expressed the deepest thanks for any small favor, even something as simple as delivering a Coke or water to his broadcast position. He described the games for his listeners, never for himself.

Paul had a natural pause between every play, always leaving room for color commentary. He treated every comment by those he worked with as important and privately expressed amazement at how much we knew when none of us were his equal.

Paul delivered a lifetime of memories. He was the voice of UA football and basketball until the increased number of telecasts of Razorback basketball caused him to leave the radio broadcasts in that sport.

He was the basketball voice for the classic Sidney Moncrief-Larry Bird confrontation in the 1979 NCAA regional finals. He called U.S. Reed's half court shot that stunned Louisville in the 1981 NCAA Tournament. Paul and I both jumped out of our seats when the ball swished through the nets.

In football he called victories over Texas, Alabama, Florida (in the Bluebonnet Bowl), Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M and hosts of others but none meant more to him than victories at Tennessee in 1992 and over the Vols at Fayetteville in 1999.

As voice of the Commodores Paul had never called a victory over the Volunteers. Before Todd Wright kicked his game winning field goal at Knoxville in '92, Paul said he would run a victory lap around Neyland Stadium if the Hogs won. He didn't physically fulfill that promise but no doubt his heart raced around the field as the Razorbacks celebrated the win.

Like all of us, Paul's spirits dropped when Clint Stoerner fumbled in the final minutes at Knoxville in 1998 and the Razorbacks suffered their most disappointing loss in decades after coming so close to an upset over the number one ranked Volunteers.

That made the '99 call so satisfying as he practically leaped out of the booth when Stoerner hit Anthony Lucas with what proved to be the game winning touchdown pass at Fayetteville.

While Matt Jones and De'Cori Birmingham will always have legendary status for the incredible last second touchdown that allowed the Hogs to beat LSU in 2002's "Miracle On Markham", Paul's call of the play will be forever be remembered.

While Paul gave us considerable thrills with his descriptions of Razorback heroics, it was his daily life that leaves an impact on all who knew him. He would do anything for anybody. Status meant nothing to him. He treated fans from the farthest corner of Arkansas with the same kindness he displayed to coaches and all he worked directly with.

Even on his last day on earth, he considered it a privilege to drive to Fayetteville and play in Houston Nutt's golf tournament. He played that day with Danny Nutt. No doubt Danny will treasure that memory for the rest of his life.

The last time I saw Paul, he smiled and waved at me as I was leaving the course to spend three hours on our daily radio show. No one could know we would never see him again on this earth.

No doubt Broyles and Nicholson will find a talented replacement for Paul Eells by the time Arkansas plays Southern Cal on Sept. 2 but the memory of Paul will hang heavy in the air. The first time the Hogs score we will be anticipating "TOUCHDOWN ARKANSAS" but will no longer hear that trademark call.

When Jack Buck, beloved St. Louis Cardinal broadcaster, passed away a few years ago, the headline of the St. Louis Post Dispatch said, "A City Loses Its Soul." We in Arkansas have lost a bit of our soul as well. While the angels are rejoicing we are left with a void that will last as long as we live.

Not meaning to be inconsiderate, but here is a picture of his car.  It's hard to believe.

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Yeah, I didn't need to see that.

RIP

Anybody remember Eli Gold? He called races for The Nashville Network and currently works with MRN.

Drivetime Sports (a state-wide sports show here) was interviewing friends and fellow play-by-play guys in the SEC. Of course, Eli Gold is also Alabama's p-b-p guy, and he was on for twenty minutes talking about how he knew Paul and telling Paul Eels stories. Paul and Eli would often meet wherever the game was and Paul would always ask how Eli was, they'd tell jokes, and Paul would even ask Eli how his NASCAR work was going. When Eli was still doing Tide basketball, and Paul (or sometimes Mike Nales (sp?)) was calling the game for the Hogs, Eli said right before they'd go on air, they'd tell Paul or Mike "Take it easy on us tonight." Even if Eli never got to tell them in person, he'd send an intern down with a note. And sometimes Paul would even return the favor.

He also gave some advice to fans in Arkansas, talking from experience from the death of Auburn's p-b-p guy. He also gave some advice from his experience of taking over Alabama's mic from their famous announcer (forgive me, I cannot remember his name). He said whenever someone called him "The Voice of The Crimson Tide," he refused, and always insisted his predecesor was the true voice. He said no one will ever replace Paul, and while it will be hard to listen to someone else, it will get easier.

I have so much more respect for Eli Gold than I had before, and that was a lot. Thanks, Eli, you are truely a class act.

Is that better Ark?

Mod Guy:

Is that better Ark?

Thank you.

I sure hope my prediction is wrong.