Mr. Voice-over: Jim Fagan
November 13, 2002 04:41 PM | General
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
I don’t know how good of a Mountaineer football player Jim Fagan was for Coach Gene Corum back in the 1960s. Jim tells me he was pretty good until a broken leg and a resulting blood clot brought an end to his football Saturdays.
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| Former Mountaineer player Jim Fagan pitcured here in the mid-1960s, is one of television's most talented voice-over specialists. |
However, last week Jim was once again back on the field leading the Mountaineers to victory. His football days may be gone, but as one of the nation’s top voiceover announcers he’s a consensus All-American.
You’ve heard his work but didn’t know it was him. That was Jim’s voice inside your TV telling you to stay tuned as Michael Jordan and the Bulls battle Karl Malone and the Jazz NEXT on NBC Sports. From the NBA to People’s Court to too many commercials to list – those were Jim’s booming pipes.
Last Friday night Jim Fagan became a Mountaineer football player again, but this time in a different uniform. He narrated a moving essay to present-day Mountaineers on the significance of their accomplishments and the legacy they will leave as members of the West Virginia University football family.
If your heart picks up some extra beats and your feet tap the floor while watching NFL Films classics, then this would have had you head-butting your walls.
It was an incredibly emotional time for the seniors, which less than 15 hours later went out and dominated Boston College. Think of the contributions made in that game by the senior class members. There’s no doubt -- none whatsoever -- that Jim Fagan’s emotional essay played a huge role in their performance.
Just like Jim told them as only he can, “Once a Mountaineer, Always a Mountaineer.”
It won’t show up on the statistics, but John Beilein should be credited with two steals.
Freshmen Joe Herber and Patrick Beilein have been impressive in the team’s first two exhibition games.
Both players are off the charts when it comes to fundamentals. One of the great problems in the game today is that most players don’t know how to play the game. Think about that for a minute.
Oh sure, every one gets giddy over players who can jump like they have slinky’s in their socks, but the overwhelming majority have no true understanding of how the game is played.
Joe Herber has ‘it’ because fundamentals are stressed in Europe. Patrick Beilein has ‘it’ because his dad handed out playbooks instead of comic books at Christmas. Regardless of their background, put them down as two recruiting steals.
I’ve retired from making predictions after it became painfully obvious that my heart regularly overrode my brain.
However, I like this Mountaineer basketball team.
Wins or losses aside, I think fans will grow to appreciate the effort and their style of play. Keep in mind, it’s a marathon not a sprint.
I believe this team’s best basketball will come in February when it counts.
Until next time.
