What was your favorite Jack Cristil moment?

[Todd4State]

Mine was listening to the 1993 Egg Bowl as a teenager. They game stands out to me for some reason- Jack was the only way that I was going to know what was going on during the game before the ESPN contract stuff.

The most excited I ever heard him was at the end of the 1999 Egg Bowl, and the 1980 Alabama football game.

My favorite Jack Cristil line was "The Sonic Drive of the Game- the drive back home to Tupelo."

Then there was "Arkansas goes into the their karate chop defense".

But perhaps the best ever was when someone called in to one of the coaches show and said "Jack, we want you to know that we really love you, and we want you around as long as possible, and we would like for you to quit smoking."

Jack responds with- "Well, my grandfather lived until he was 95."


The caller then asks- "Oh, did he smoke too?"


And then Jack goes- "No. He minded his own business."

 

[Todd4State]

Mine was listening to the 1993 Egg Bowl as a teenager. They game stands out to me for some reason- Jack was the only way that I was going to know what was going on during the game before the ESPN contract stuff.

The most excited I ever heard him was at the end of the 1999 Egg Bowl, and the 1980 Alabama football game.

My favorite Jack Cristil line was "The Sonic Drive of the Game- the drive back home to Tupelo."

Then there was "Arkansas goes into the their karate chop defense".

But perhaps the best ever was when someone called in to one of the coaches show and said "Jack, we want you to know that we really love you, and we want you around as long as possible, and we would like for you to quit smoking."

Jack responds with- "Well, my grandfather lived until he was 95."


The caller then asks- "Oh, did he smoke too?"


And then Jack goes- "No. He minded his own business."

 

[vhdawg]

....was the off-color, off-air rant I heard him go on shortly following the conclusion of the 2005 UF game in Gainesville, where Urbz was trying to score at the end. Listening to the in-stadium transmitter, during network breaks, we could hear what was going on in the booth, and that man let loose a string of curses and invective the likes of which would make a sailor blush, tying a pretty knot on it all by saying "I've got no 17ing use for the whole g-d state of Florida."

I've said before that you could write a book full of Jack Cristil stories, but you'd have to put a warning label on it, because the best ones can't be told in polite company.

 

[jcdawgman18]

[No message]

 

[dawgatUSM]

From "unmolested" to "matriculate" and the list goes on and on...<div>
</div><div>And, Just the other day, I didn't get to see the end of the half at the UK game, and Jack said "I will guarantee you that nobody gets that call other than the University of Kentucky in Rupp Arena."</div>

 

[Faustdog]

....was the off-color, off-air rant I heard him go on shortly following the conclusion of the 2005 UF game in Gainesville, where Urbz was trying to score at the end. Listening to the in-stadium transmitter, during network breaks, we could hear what was going on in the booth, and that man let loose a string of curses and invective the likes of which would make a sailor blush, tying a pretty knot on it all by saying "I've got no 17ing use for the whole g-d state of Florida."

I've said before that you could write a book full of Jack Cristil stories, but you'd have to put a warning label on it, because the best ones can't be told in polite company.

That is funny.

 

[GratefulDawg.sixpack]

One was in 1996, after we had beaten Alabama for the first time in 16 years. He compared the win to Eisenhower liberating Europe. I wish I had a tape of that moment. I was listening to the radio broadcast over the phone while crying because I was so happy.

Another is the Arkansas karate chop defense.

In 1991, we were playing UK in basketball on the road and Jack stopped in the middle of the broadcast and berated the officials because the Wildcats were getting away with murder. Something like, "Hey ref, call a foul! They're killing them out there!"

Hearing the call of the end of the Alabama basketball game in 2004 was great as well. You knew it was a big win when he would add "my friend" in the middle of of the Wrap It phrase.

The Sonic Drive back to Tupelo was classic.

 

[megadawgmaniac]

Mississippi State had just finished the thrilling come from behind win to secure the SEC championship. The fans hung around the broadcast table to hear Jack and Rick talk about the game. The players came back out and posed for pictures with fans (including a not-so-good photo of Winsome Frazier). Then when security made everyone leave, we just congregated around the team bus to keep the celebration going. Jack Cristil - who posed for a photo with yours truly, VHDawg and the rest of our crew - was standing off to the side. Here's the transcript of the brief conversation between Jack and VHDawg.

VHD: So does this make up for football season?
Jack: What football season?

And scene.

My favorite story VHDawg references for the book is the infamous basketball practice against folding chairs.

My favorite Jack words are matriculate and gesticulate.

AA - surprised no mention of "Chinaman's chance"

 

[vhdawg]

...two years later, after Croom managed to win at Bryant-Denny, much of the same crew saw Jack outside the stadium afterwards. We went up to him and told him we'd made a picture with him two years prior at the basketball game and thanked him, and Jack said "Well you boys have seen about as many wins over here as I have."

 

[o_HubDawg]

He talked about the words that Winston Churchill used when talking about the British Air Force during the bombings of London and into the war....
Churchill said (or Churchill say....Croom style):
Never before have so many....owed so much....to so few.
Jack said, "And if I may borrow from Mr. Churchill, as it relates to a football game...never before have so many, owed so much, to so few."

 

[Dawgpack]

I have to agree....Anytime that man said "and you can wrap this one in maroon and white!"

2nd Favorite is the day he anounced my wife and I as "husband and wife" and then went on to say "and you can wrap this one in maroon and white!"

 

[CooterBrown.sixpack]

Any broadcast that he did. I'm 66 and an Ole Miss alum, but I have listened to an awful lot of State broadcasts over the years. Jack was one of the very best who ever drew breath behind a microphone. He called the game, told it like it was, made it interesting, and kept us entertained. I wish that I had known that last night was going to be his last so I could have listened to it.

 

[FlabLoser]

[No message]

 

[o_fredgarvin]

to beat Memphis State in 1974.</p>

 

[thatsbaseball]

it was just apart of the broadcast I always appreciated.

 

[bulldogcountry1]

After Jerious scored the winning TD

Jack: "If they call a celebration penalty on this, I'll shoot 'em"

I always enjoyed: "Equidistant from the sideline stripes."

 

[whitedog]

I wish that I had known that last night was going to be his last so I could have listened to it.

I think Saturday vs. Tennessee will be his last broadcast.

 

[Dawgzilla]

Listened to the in-stadium feed during the game, and Jack had a lot of comments during commercial breaks. MSU eventually lost by 2 in a shootout, and Jack said somethinglike "Man, I can't stand this G-- D--- playground B---S---"

 

[dawgstudent]

and Anthony Boone gets fouled and is "hurt" so he can't shoot FT's. Someone else for Ole Miss comes in and shoots them. After the 2nd FT is in the air, Boone pops up and goes to the scorer's table and Jack says in a smartass tone...

"A Miraculous Recovery by Boone"

 

[Shmuley]

what we will miss most about the man. He was in Lexington. It was the Kentucky pregame. There is no doubt in my mind that Jack absolutely hates pregame ******** and player introductions. No doubt whatsoever. His commentary about them is always derisive and ridiculing in nature. Anyway, Kentucky turned off all the lights, so now Jack is completely blind. Then they started that ghetto music **** which has to drive him bananas. Then they went to the spotlights, PA player intros, and then ... then they started shooting fireworks from the rafters. Jack went silent for several seconds. Jim, as he always seems to do, sensed that Jack's fuse was lit as well, and stepped in to calmly comment on the fireworks display. Jack said something along the lines of, "I find it hard to believe that they are exploding fireworks inside an arena packed with 24,000 fans sitting only feet away. I assume the fire marshal is none too pleased with this display. BUT GOD HELP YOU IF YOU TRY TO LIGHT A CIGARETTE IN THIS PLACE!"

This is the Jack I will miss. Greatly.

 

[dawgstudent]

http://sixpackspeak.com/gesticulation.mp3

 

[00Dawg]

a '97's basketball matchup with LSU. Memory has faded on the exact quote, but I believe it was a Bart Hyche "hits it" at the buzzer to steal a win in Baton Rouge in the final game of the season. I was listening with my grandfather, and that was probably the only time I ever saw him get excited about anything.

 

[vhdawg]

that's great...

 

[thatsbaseball]

smoking by himself. I approached him and asked if I called my 80year old father in law(who Jack knew)would he wish hima happy birthday. He said sure so I got my father in law on the phone and told him I had someone that wanted to speak to him. Jack gets on the phone and immediately says "well you can wrap this one in maroon and white" my father in law`s reply was "damn Jack I thought we had lost this son of a *****" Jack`s reply "hell I did to". What a day.

 

[clydefrazier]

Alabama basketball game in Tuscaloosa around 93 or 94. We got to go in to the press hospitality area before the game and they had the buffet set up. I am looking around and soaking it all in and across the room I see a huge cloud of smoke and what seems to be someone chaining down in the middle of it. I walk over and its Jack. I said give em hell Jack and he smiled back and said "you better believe it"

 

[Maroon Blood]

Auburn had a great player, Eddie Johnson, who fouled MSU point guard Al Perry as time expired with State trailing by 1. There was a 20 minute delay so the refs could decide if he was in the act of shooting and how much time was left. There were no TV replay monitors at that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Filling those 20 minutes live on the radio was classic Cristil. There was a US Senator from Maine, Sen. <span style="COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Margaret Chase Smith,</span> in attendance that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jack wanted to go in the stands and get her opinion. Ultimately, Al walked to the line with two free throws with no time on the clock. If he missed both, we lose, makes one, we go to OT or hits both, we win. Jack said, "So Al Perry will walk to the line and will bea hero or a goat!" Al made both free throws to give us our first heart-stopping win in the Hump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jack went wild saying, "Al Perry is taking a hero's ride into the dressing! He'll ride all the way....in the Humphrey Coliseum!!! It’s exciting even walking across the parking lot….which is non-existent!" The parking lot had not been built yet. I have a tape of this call somewhere in my attic. I need to find it.</p>

 

[AshleySchaffer]

I was a student at State, and one of our family friends from back home in Brookhaven who was a Tupelo native and MSU alum had just passed away before I started school at State. He always talked about how good of friends he was with Jack Cristil, and I always thought he was just joking around with me. Well Im eating at Abners on a Saturday in August when I have just moved to Starkville and I see Jack smoking in the parking lot of Abners and approach him and introduce myself to him, and tell him a family friend who recently passes away always talked about how good of friends they were. He asked me who, and I told him and Jack said HELL, Im eating lunch with his brother. Our family friend's brother walked out and we chit chatted a few minutes, but that is a memory I will always remember just having the short 5 minute conversation with a man who I consider an ICON for the entire State of MISSISSIPPI.

 

[gdogg]

I was living in Birmingham and me and a co-worker (huge Kentucky fan), drove over to Starkville for the KYgame. We arrived at the Hump very early, my friend wanted to see the facility so we decided to park and go on in. We had drank considerably on the way over so we headed straight for the bathroom. We are both standing at the urinals facing the wall when the bathroom door burst open, and someone shouts, " I AM NEXT CAUSE MINE IS OUT!"
It was Jack.

 

[MaroonedNdaRock]

My favorite moment would be six to three. Unfortunately I wasn't there but I was hanging on Jacks every word. What a thrilling moment.

We only went to games in Starkville back then. So that meant listening to the rest on the radio. He is a big reason why I'm a Bulldog today.

 

[821505]

will be my drive back to Tupelo.

 

[Predestined]

I think that was when Shaq and Eric Roberts were at LSU, fouling us all over inside, and Boudreaux would call nothing. Jack finally got fed up late in the game. Boudreaux is now head of SEC basketball officiating lol.

 

[MeridianDog]

mispronouncing a football player's name and when Jim corrected himhe said, "If that's not how it is pronounced, it should be."

 

[thunderclap]

and naturally, the refs weren't calling anything. You could tell Jack was getting fed up, and there was a dead moment and you heard the microphone rustle, and then Jack's voice (obviously he didn't do a good job covering the mic) yelling at the refs, "Blow the goddamn whistle!"

 

[thunderclap]

.

 

[MadDawg.sixpack]

that was beautiful