As one of the first voices of the University of Kentucky men's
basketball program, Claude Sullivan (1924--1967) became a nationally
known sportscasting pioneer. His career followed Kentucky's rise to
prominence as he announced the first four NCAA championship titles under
Coach Adolph Rupp and covered scrimmages during the canceled 1952--1953
season following the NCAA sanctions scandal. Sullivan also
revolutionized the coverage of the UK football program with the
introduction of a coach's show with Bear Bryant -- a national first that
gained significant attention and later became a staple at other
institutions. Sullivan's reputation in Kentucky eventually propelled him
to Cincinnati, where he became the voice of the Reds, and even to the
1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome. His success was tragically cut short
when he passed away from throat cancer at forty-two.
In Voice of the Wildcats: Claude Sullivan and the Rise of Modern
Sportscasting, Claude's son Alan, along with Joe Cox, offers an
engaging and heartfelt look at the sportscaster's life and the context
in which he built his career. Featuring dozens of interviews and
correspondence with sports legends, including Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones,
Babe Parilli, Cliff Hagan, Ralph Hacker, Jim Host, Billy Reed, Adolph
Rupp, and Cawood Ledford, this engaging biography showcases the life and
work of a beloved broadcast talent and documents the rise of sports
radio during the twentieth century.
