Bob Harris, Voice of the Blue Devils, says goodbye after 41 years
Having called close to 2,000 Duke games in his 41-year career, Bob Harris’ time as the Voice of the Blue Devils is done.
Harris announced his retirement in July before extending his streak of calling Duke football games to 471 in November. The school honored him for his status as the play-by-play announcer on Jan. 4 during a home basketball game against Georgia Tech. His career ended on March 19 when Duke lost 88-81 to South Carolina in the NCAA tournament in Greenville, S.C. Harris worked his first football game for Duke in 1976.
On Monday, Harris was feted during a celebratory golf outing followed by a dinner attended by Duke athletics employees past and present at the Washington Duke Inn. The school gifted him a lifetime membership to the Duke University Golf Club.
A letter from Bob Harris
To all the Duke fans who have taken the time to tune your radios to our network outlets over the past 41+ years:
I just want you to know how much I have appreciated the honor of representing Duke University and its wonderful athletic teams. I have been asked so many times in the last nine months, “What will you miss the most?” I have a multi-faceted answer. I will miss the excitement of the games and the multitude of stadiums and arenas that I have been privileged to broadcast from. I will miss the interaction with the football and basketball coaches around the ACC and beyond. I will miss my interaction with the folks in the Duke Athletic Department, and others from the ACC office and conference schools.
But most of all, I will miss my associations and acquaintances with the coaches and players that I have had the honor of working with for all these years. I have received emails, letters and phone calls from many of them; some from my early days at Duke in the late 70s. Getting to know the athletes and, in many cases, their families too, will certainly be something I won’t ever replace.
To all of you, THANK YOU, and may God Bless You.
Bob Harris, The Voice of the Blue Devils
This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Bob Harris, Voice of the Blue Devils, says goodbye after 41 years."