PARIS- Last week, RNN Sports highlighted Brandon Fisher, public address announcer for the Charleston Tigers. As part of our series, this week, we visited with Paris press box announcer Keith Bullock. Keith is another legend in our area that serves his community and school district with passion and love for both.
Keith started his service as press box announcer in the 2020 football season. Keith, speaking of how he started, “I think they (the district) had a couple of people filling in (before he began) for a while. I think, Richard Zimmer (who is the district’s head of maintenance) did it for a long time; he took over for Winford.” (Winford McClure who famously served as the voice of the Eagles up until just before he passed away in 2012). Mr. McClure had been the beloved voice of the Eagles for many years. Before his tenure in the press box, Mr. McClure had been the radio announcer for Paris Eagles football. “Radio was big back then in the 90s, and he (McClure) did all of that in the 90s and then I think he moved into the press box as stadium announcer.”
So, for those who followed Mr. McClure in the press box, it has been a daunting task to follow a legend at the microphone. When Keith Bullock stepped up to take the challenge in 2020, it was out of love for Eagles football and the Paris community. As I interviewed him, it was very evident that he has a deep respect and admiration for Winford McClure, and his service as the Eagles Stadium public address announcer is something he takes very seriously. When I asked Keith about the pressure he feels following in a legend’s footsteps, he responded by saying, “Oh yeah. He is probably the one that put a face on that position (stadium announcer). You know, I don’t remember having gone through school (at Paris High School) and having graduated in ’95 any talk of him, but I know he added zeal, atmosphere, and love for the kids. He coached a lot of the kids and had an influence in their lives. It is definitely big shoes to fill. I try to not necessarily copy him, but I try to bring that same type of excitement and passion for being an Eagle. He was a graduate of Paris High School and so am I… we both played ball there, and we both worked with kids and have a love for the students, so, he definitely set the bar.”
Service as the stadium announcer for high school football is something that I have discovered to be a service of love for the school, community, and the kids on the field. And Keith Bullock is no different. When I asked him about this, he simply said, “Right. I look forward to it every night.”
In his short tenure of three, going into his fourth season, Keith says the 2020 season, one that saw the Eagles advance to the state semifinals, was perhaps his favorite memory to date as the press box announcer in Paris. Keith said, “You know, we had those two big runs where we went to the state quarterfinals (in 2020 and to the second round in 2021) with the Chase Watts, Duke Walker, Ely Fore, and that group. So, it’s hard to put it on one big play or moment (his favorite memory). Those two years set the bar for the program. You know, we had a coaching change, but we didn’t miss a beat (current head coach Jeff Weaver took over the program in the 2021 season). You know, Nate Henderson and that bunch came through in 2021. I remember, although I was an offensive guy (running back for Paris as a player) I remember one big play; I can remember Nate making the tackle. Him and big Jimmy Dikeman up front; had a lot of fun calling those guys’ games. I can’t remember a standalone play that jumps out at me.”
In the press box, Keith says that several times before Trey Prieur, the district’s assistant athletic director, acquired the new sound system at the stadium, there were moments when the excitement and the volume of Keith’s voice would blow out the stadium sound system. “There were times that I would get so excited, whether it was Duke (Walker) running for a touchdown, or Ely Fore, or Chase throwing a touchdown, I would get so loud that it would blow a fuse on the system and then there would be no sound…but I’m still calling the plays. And there is nothing going out that anyone can hear until everything calms down. Then I realize that I can’t hear anything so we would have to reset the system. Trey would tell me that it is OK, we are going to get a new sound system, and we did. But it is always a joy up there; with the Trusty’s (Ron Trusty has been a long-time member of the press box crew). We definitely have to make sure that my hand is not on the microphone button at times, especially during a heated rivalry. Some plays may not be going your way, or bad calls, or whatever it may be. I have to tone it down up there. I have to remind myself that I am supposed to be calling it from both sides of the ball…maybe just a little bit more for the Eagles. In fact, I do remember two years ago, it was the first playoff game at home, and the AAA refs on the field for the playoff game could hear my calls from the press box. They did have a meeting with me about not doing a “play by play” from the press box, just call the game. Which, I try to be about a second behind where I am not actually calling the play as it happens, but just to give the fans my feel for the play.”
Keith is correct. Technically, the stadium press box announcer is supposed to be neutral in their presentation of the game. But in this writer’s observation, as a person who has made many stops at stadiums across the state, high school press box announcers in every community slant the presentation of the game in their home teams’ favors, if not cheerleading from the press box. It can even go as far as being demeaning to the visiting team and fans. And in my opinion, that is when it has gone too far. But it is difficult to hide enthusiasm from the press box, and from the community’s standpoint, it is expected. Keith finished by saying, “My goal is to try to make it more of a “college” feel in the presentation of the game. Music in between the breaks, and this year, I would like to coordinate the music with the cheer team, just like at college games. Also, encouraging the crowd to get loud at crucial times…such as on third downs. I want to make it more family friendly and not just your typical kind of just call the ballgame.”
Keith selects his own music for game nights. In doing so, he and so many stadium announcers across the state spend a lot of time selecting music, organizing the order of play, categorizing the music for certain game situations, organizing announcements, putting the timeline of announcements together as they are to be read during the game, and many other tasks that go unnoticed by fans during the course of the game. And all of this is done with pride and enthusiasm for no other reason than to do it for the love of school and community. It can be easy for a fan to criticize the PA announcer, but if you stop and think, that person is getting nothing out of the job other than the personal satisfaction of serving the kids, the program, and the community. From my standpoint, I think we owe Keith and others like him across the state a big thanks for what they do for the schools across Arkansas.
If you have ever attended a game at Eagles Stadium, especially as a fan from a visiting school, one of the first things that you cannot help but to notice are the fireworks that go off after every Paris touchdown, or when the Eagles take the field. Keith elaborated on this by saying, “Used to be, the National Guard unit would bring their cannon down and fire it at times during the games. That stopped when the Guard unit transitioned and they took their cannon, so now, fireworks are set off. That’s always fun; it’s not too obnoxious for the visiting fans, but it lets them know that they are here (at Eagles Stadium).”
But football is more than a game to Keith Bullock. Keith is deeply involved in the lives of many kids throughout Paris and the surrounding communities. He and his wife Krystal are intricately involved in the spiritual life and development of so many throughout the community. “I got saved back in September of 2000, and three years later, I was in the Army Reserves, and we ended up going to Iraq. After I got back, I knew I wanted to work with kids. So, when I got back, I spent three or four years working, and going to church. So, probably fourteen years ago, my wife and I went to Greenwood as youth pastors and that’s where we felt the call to work with students. The Tyler Wilsons and that teams’ football Chaplin, along with Coach Jones at Greenwood, and it just kind of took off from there. We deeply wanted to do this back in our hometown because we both graduated from Paris. So, when we got the opportunity to come back, the door opened up for other stuff. We have been part of the mentor program at school, and we hope to get that program back. Anytime God opens the door for me to work with the next generation, I walk through it. So, when they asked me about doing the stadium announcing, it was just a no-brainer for me.”
Going back to Keith’s service in Iraq, I asked him if anything happened there that influenced him to be the person he is today. Keith replied, “Probably what influenced me the most was that I don’t remember anyone there that wasn’t grateful that we were there. There was a father there that begged us to take his children back to the United States with us when we left. Of course, we couldn’t. That had a big impact on me. When you live somewhere and you are born into freedom, and you are born into the rights that have been given to us, the Constitutional rights that we have, you don’t realize what you have until you go somewhere where people don’t have it. That made such a huge impact on me. I can get up today and if I want to go to Alaska, I can do it. I wake up every day and can do what I want to do. Over there, they were under so much pressure that everything was literally dictated for them coming and going. So, that made a huge impact on me. One thing I want to instill in this generation is that someone paid a big price for our freedom. The cost of the freedom in the country that you live in, and the price for the spiritual freedom that we have…someone paid for it. We are just one generation away from losing it. We are always just one generation away. They (younger generation) do not understand the price that was paid. Whether it is football games, volleyball games, etc., having the opportunity to go to school, whatever, someone paid the price so we can do these things. I took 27 students to Belize and that was an eye opener for them. They saw those kids and how they live, and they saw how good they have it in the states.”
The same may be true for members of the Paris community. As community members, we may take people like Keith for granted. We believe they will always be there, and we temporarily lose our sense of appreciation for Keith and the many others like him throughout our community that give of themselves to make a positive difference in our hometowns. Like he said, you don’t realize how much you appreciate things until you don’t have them.
Keith Bullock, on behalf of everyone at RNN Sports, we thank you and the many others like you in the communities throughout the River Valley who give their time and talents to their local school districts and hometowns. Thank you for your service, not only in the protection of our freedoms in this great country, but to your local service to the children of Paris and the surrounding areas.
We look forward to hearing you present the Eagles’ game this Friday as the new season kicks off in Paris!
