Word is that the late Ed Kallay, the play-by-play announcer for University of Louisville basketball and football in the Sixties and Seventies, will soon be inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.

Ed Kallay

Ed Kallay worked at WAVE Radio and TV from 1948 to 1977. A man with a tremendous sense of humor, he was an avid Louisville fan, with an ability to make his listeners laugh whether the Cards were winning or losing.

Many long-time Cards fans will also recall his hosting such shows as The Magic Forest and Funny Flickers, as well as Tomorrow’s Champions where young Cassius Clay (who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali) got his start in boxing.

Shortly before he retired, Kallay hired Bob Domine as his assistant. They were cut from the same mode, sharing a sense of humor and a love of sports that endeared them them to local sports fans of all stripes. His son, Mike, served as Business Editor of The Louisville Times and as Editor of Business First.

Thanks for the legacy, Ed.

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.

One thought on “Ed Kallay will finally be honored in Kentucky Hall of Fame”
  1. Ed’s calls of UofL basketball on WAVE were classic broadcasts. A beautiful combination of disarray, conjecture, improvisation and humor. My late father wouldn’t miss one…claiming it was better than most comedy acts out there. He may have been the major reason I became a Cards fan…listening to Ed was like a night at a unorganized charity auction where too much alcohol had been served. But, it was classic radio and it inspired me to pester Pop to go see these guys play live. And the rest, as they say, is history. Cawood got dumped for the colorful Kallay and Cardinals by this young crew-cutted terror.

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