MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jack Johns, who served as the public address announcer for Morgantown High football and basketball games, as well as band concerts, for more than three decades, died Monday at age 79.
Johns was a 1956 MHS graduate and became known as the “Voice of the Mohigans.”
“We’ve had a couple of good replacements in his stead, but he was the Voice of the Mohigans,” MHS athletic director and former head football coach John Bowers said on Morgantown AM with Dave Wilson and Sarah Giosi.
“He had so many wonderful and distinct calls. ‘First and 10 from the 20’ and ‘The ball at the mid-stripe.’ He was such a great personality, a great man and a great spirit. We’re sure gonna miss the heck out of Jack.”
Johns retired after serving 17 years as public address announcer for WVU women’s basketball games and was the press box announcer at Milan Puskar Stadium for 13 years. He was recognized with the Morgantown Touchdown Club’s Proficiency Award in 2000 and the Zackquill Morgan Award as Communicator of the Century. As part of a 28-year broadcasting career with the WVU Extension Service, Johns’ weekly radio program Outreach Review” was honored as best in the nation among all land-grant universities.
Johns was inducted into the MHS Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.
Story by Sean Manning