LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Black history and black college history were made at this year's men's NCAA Division I Final Four Basketball championship (March 27-29) in St. Petersburg, Florida.
No, not on the court where the University of Connecticut beat Duke for the national title. Not on the sidelines where four coaches led Ohio State, Connecticut, Duke and Michigan State into battle.
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| Jackie Bowe |
Bowe was chosen to replace the legendary, Frank Fallon, who retired a year ago after serving as the voice of the NCAA championships for 21 years.
Despite the worldwide audience, the 41,341 fans that packed Tropicana Field for both Saturday's semifinals and Monday's final, and the pressure of succeeding a legend, Bowe said he was not nervous.
"Just before the first game I had my prayer time," said Bowe, 49, who with his booming voice has performed the same duties for Norfolk State University, the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAA). " I just asked that I do well for myself and for other people."
He did and learned quite a bit along the way. "It was an experience," said Bowe, one that began early in the game.
"When I made my first introduction, I said 'the N-C-double-A welcomes you'" he explained. "Someone from CBS quickly came over and explained that they want to be known as the N-C-A-A, not N-C-double A. They told me not to worry about it because they (CBS) sometimes make the same mistake. Other than that it was pretty smooth sailing."
Bowe was responsible for introduction of the starting line-ups and the officials, and for making announcements of substitutions, fouls, baskets, timeouts, etc. He found out just how tightly run the NCAA is.
"I just got lots of help," said Bowe. "They made sure everything goes off without any hitches, sometimes sending four or five people off with an order. They're a very structured organization, very close-knit. Everything they do is first class." That included everything from where he was housed over the five days he spent in Florida to the manner in which the tournament is run.
The man most responsible for making this historic moment happen is MEAC Commissioner Charles S. Harris, said Bowe. Back in the fall, Harris asked Bowe for audio tape of his work for some upcoming conference promotions. Little did Bowe know that Harris, well aware of Fallon's retirement, was sending those tapes on to the NCAA.
Around Oct. 30, Bowe got a call from the NCAA's Kendall Barr saying he was a finalist for the Final Four job.
"He told me that Charles had submitted tapes on my behalf. He said he (Harris) didn't tell me probably because he didn't want me to get excited." After sending more demo tapes, he was notified of his selection. The rest, as they say, is history.
"It was a great opportunity and great exposure," Bowe said. Now he is waiting to see if this extraordinary opportunity will continue next year when the Final Four goes to the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. "All reports are that I did a good job. I've been told by the NCAA that this is not something they take applications for. I don't know yet for sure, but it looks like it may happen."
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