The more I read on Rod Bramblett, the more this whole thing just punches me harder in the gut. Not that I knew that much about the man or his family prior to this happening. He was the voice of the Auburn Tigers. That's all I cared to know. Of course, people are far more apt to focus on the positives after someone is gone. But by all accounts, this guys was genuine...the real deal.
In one sense, for a lot of us, this is the loss of a family member. Yes, a much more extended family, but a loss just the same. Being long in the tooth like I am, I grew up with radio being a huge part of entertainment in general. Before you could watch every single Auburn or Alabama game, or any game 24/7 for that matter, you relied on the radio to paint that picture. I was 11 years old when Gary Sanders and Gusty Yearout (Yes, we had Gusty play long before Go Gaytah) made the call in the Punt Bama Punt game. I'm sure most of you have, but if not, go back and pull up that call and it will give you the same chills as Bramblett's Kick 6 gem. Their uncontrolled excitement sent me running through the neighborhood like an idiot on fire, trying to tell everybody I could find what just happened.
Back then, I also spent many a night listening to John Forney and Doug Layton call the Bama games. Even though I was pulling for the other team, they were still the voices I had grown up with. As crazy as this sounds, I was actually a little pissed when Ray Perkins came in and cleaned house, including this pair. I think Jim Fyffe transitioned seamlessly into calling Auburn sports. You could tell his love for Auburn in all his calls, plus he was pretty damn good at his craft. I had a Bama friend of mine tell me one time that he could listen to Fyffe and wish he was calling Bama games. At all times, you knew what was going on in the game…time…quarter…score… and you actually knew what was happening on every play. Not something all announcers are good at but Fyffe did it effortlessly. I have to admit though, it took a little time for his “Touchdown Auburn†call to grow on me. It seemed a little cheesy at first, but then it quickly became something you looked forward to. It was as much a part of Auburn football as just about any tradition on the Plains. And just as Fyffe had established himself as an Auburn icon, he was taken away from us in the blink of an eye.
Enter Rod Bramblett. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure about Bramblett in the beginning. And while I understood the need for the early Touchdown Auburn calls in tribute to Jim Fyffe, I wanted him to establish his own identity…his own signature call. Touchdown Auburn was uniquely Fyffe. It was something to remember him by. But Rod kept up the call and delivered it with more enthusiasm each and every time and something that was uniquely Jim Fyffe, evolved into something uniquely Auburn. And I think we all became more comfortable with Bramblett and realized that he was equally capable of painting that picture for the fans through words. Also blatantly obvious in his delivery was his love of Auburn and that healthy dose of homerism you want your play by play announcer to have. When the good guys were rolling, he was a fan like everyone else. If the other team scored, his delivery dripped of that same healthy dose of “Well shit!â€
I can’t tell you how many times I drove home from a Saturday in Auburn and listened to the post game show until it went off the air. Win or lose, it was like being with family during both good and bad times. It was our family and Rod was the patriarch. And now, that too has been taken away. I feel for whoever they choose to take over for Rod Bramblett. They have some mighty big shoes to fill and no matter how well they do, it’s still going to take some time before it feels comfortable again in the Auburn family.
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