Bob Robertson won’t be behind a microphone for a 590th time Saturday when 25th-ranked Washington State plays host to No. 12 Oregon in a Pac-12 football game at Martin Stadium.
A fixture in the WSU radio booth, Robertson announced Monday he was retiring, effective immediately, ending a career that spanned 52 years, 10 United States presidents and 10 Cougars head coaches. He described more than 260 WSU football victories….
“As of this moment, I’ve now asked the athletic department at Washington State University to list me as a retired, former sportscaster for the Cougars,” Robertson said. “It is a matter of getting old is what it is. Everything seems to move a lot faster around me, I move more slowly. I hope to see you soon, I’m not going to go away. I like Washington State people and the school itself too much to do that.”…
Robertson stamped his broadcasts with a signoff that is still identifiable to generations of WSU fans and alums:
“Always be a good sport, be a good sport all ways.”
A member of the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame and Inland Empire Hall of Fame, Robertson in 2004 was a recipient of the prestigious Chris Schenkel Award. He became the first broadcaster west of the Mississippi River to earn induction into the broadcasters’ division of the College Football Hall of Fame.
In 2009, WSU recognized his legacy when it named the broadcast booth after him: the Bob Robertson Broadcast Suite….
The Fullerton, Calif., native attended Western Washington University, where he started his broadcast career. He married his wife, Joanne, in 1952.
Bob and Joanne Robertson were together for 59 years before Joanne died in 2011. SEATTLETIMES.COM
*On a personal note, I worked with Bob Robertson at KAMT/Tacoma and KTAC/Tacoma. His wife, Joanne was secretary/receptionist at KTAC (and such a sweet lady). Bob is a great guy and an icon among sportscasters in the Puget Sound region.
Some comments may be held for moderation. (New users)