There really is a man who “wrote the book” on how to be a public address announcer at a sporting event. His name is Don Essig (b. Nov 18, 1938) and he has truly been the “voice” of University of Oregon sporting events since 1967.
The book itself is a nifty bit of self-publishing from 20 years ago. A small guide for young people about to crack the mic at a high school game. It is a symbol of Don’s passion for everything he has done as an educator and the host of Duck games at Autzen Stadium and other venues.
Like many key figures in the Civil War rivalry, Don Essig was a Beaver before he was a Duck. The native of Oregon City was a cheerleader in Corvallis while he completed his bachelor’s degree at Oregon State in 1960 and promptly returned to Oregon City to teach elementary school. His announcing career began in that school district a year later.
Don’s migration to green and gold began when he began his master’s degree studies at UO and joined the Eugene school district. As he rose from teacher to administrator, Don announced at high school events in Eugene. It was legendary baseball coach Mel Krause who recommended Essig for the job at U of O. Don’s first game on campus was the 1967 men’s basketball season opener vs New Mexico.
After 50 years and 1,123 Duck events later, you can’t mistake that voice. Or this phrase: “It never rains in Autzen Stadium”. That’s a fairly recent development, started when the University banned umbrellas at football games in 1990. True to the words, it did not rain on a home football game for 6 seasons. Even when the streak ended, the phrase stuck around.
Don Essig’s announcing career has outlived Mac Court and three renovations of Autzen. Along the way, Don has also been the voice of NCAA tournament games, baseball, women’s basketball, track and field and gymnastics. Don Essig does the job for free these days. He is not paid in cash but in tickets, so his family can share his passion for everything green and gold.
His career has included school principal duties, motivational speaking and writing and volunteer for numerous organizations. This will be his 31st season playing “Mighty Oregon” on the piano at the Monday Oregon Club meetings in Eugene/Springfield.
