Longtime Duke Blue Devils radio play-by-play voice Bob Harris passed away on Wednesday, June 12, at 81.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I report that Bob Harris passed away this morning with Bob’s wife Phyllis at his side, holding his hand,” Wes Chesson, one of Harris’ longtime radio partners, told The News & Observer.
Harris served as the radio play-by-play broadcaster for Duke football and men’s basketball for over four decades before hanging up the microphone in 2017.
Harris enjoyed an illustrious career as a broadcaster, his legendary voice synonymous with Duke athletics for 41 years. He called 1,392 Duke basketball games, including all five national championships. He also witnessed 16 ACC Tournament victories and broadcasted 471 consecutive football games.
In short, Duke fans heard Harris call games for most of Mike Krzyzewski’s legendary tenure.
Both Krzyzewski and Duke Athletic Director Nina King offered statements on Harris’ passing:
“Duke lost another one of its greatest treasures with the passing of Bob Harris,” said former Duke head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. “For decades as our radio play-by-play broadcaster, Bob told the story of Duke Athletics better than anyone. He was much more than an announcer to all of us. He was a family member who absolutely loved Duke and everything it stands for. We are so thankful that it was his voice that shared our journey each season with so many Duke fans around the world. He was adored by so many of them. The Krzyzewski family offers our deepest condolences to Phyllis and their loved ones. It was my honor to call Bob my friend.”
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Bob Harris,” said Duke Vice President & Director of Athletics Nina King. “We send our heartfelt condolences to Phyllis and the entire Harris family. Duke, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the entire collegiate athletics community has lost a true icon. For over four decades, Bob represented Duke with the utmost professionalism while delivering to our fans worldwide an acute account of Blue Devil football and men’s basketball games. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live forever.”
RIP, Bob Harris, and condolences to his friends and family.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.