Frank Fallon: Longtime Voice of the Bears — and the Final Four

For generations of Baylor fans, hearing Frank Fallon’s unmistakable voice on the radio meant they were immediately transported from whatever they were doing to wherever the Bears were playing. Fallon’s rich voice, vivid descriptions and wealth of information about the games he covered made fans feel like they were right there with the Bears in their mind’s eye.

Fallon, ’53, served as “The Voice of the Baylor Bears” for more than four decades, from 1953 to 1995. In an age when radio was often the only way to follow a game live, his voice was the connection between far-flung Baylor fans and the Bears. More than just a great voice, though, Fallon was known for extensive preparation down to the smallest detail to keep fans informed about every aspect of the game.

[Click here to hear Fallon call the end of Baylor football’s 1991 road victory over defending national champion Colorado]

But Baylor Nation was not the only place the legendary broadcaster made an impact. For 21 seasons, Fallon also served as “The Voice of the Final Four.” No matter where the men’s basketball Final Four was held between 1978 and 1998, the NCAA brought Fallon to serve as the in-arena public address announcer. Long-time college basketball fans may remember Brent Musberger introducing “the incomparable Frank Fallon” as Fallon’s introductions of the Final Four teams were televised nationwide.

In addition to broadcasting Baylor football, basketball and baseball games and announcing Final Fours, Fallon also called Southwest Conference Football games on the old SWC Radio Network, spent several seasons as the radio voice of the Houston Oilers, and called local high school football games for many years. In the latter years of his career, he guided countless aspiring broadcasters while serving as the general manager of KWBU, then a student-run station.

[Hear Fallon discuss his career with KWBU in a 1999 interview]

To current “Voice of the Bears” John Morris, Frank Fallon was a hero and a mentor. Morris called games alongside Fallon for eight years until Fallon’s retirement in 1995. He remembers that Fallon’s professionalism, and the way he treated others, set him apart.

“Frank was so professional in everything he did — the way he carried himself, the way he prepared and the way he presented the broadcast,” Morris says. “He was old school, and I mean that in a complimentary way — very descriptive and well-prepared. And he always treated everyone with kindness. Frank was a true gentleman on and off the air.”

Fallon passed away in 2004 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, but his legacy lives on. He was honored by the university with a banner that still hangs in the Ferrell Center rafters — the closest a broadcaster can get to having his number retired.

Sic ’em, Frank Fallon!