Ohio State Football: Bob Kennedy, The Voice of The Shoe has passed away at 59

For those of us fortunate enough to attend Ohio State football games live at Ohio Stadium, there has been an iconic voice behind the microphone before, during, and after games. They say that if an official or referee is doing his or her job well, you won’t notice them.

The same can be said about a PA announcer at a stadium. It’s a thankless job in many ways, having to read announcements before the game, give the starting lineups, and then announce the yards gained, who made the tackles, and the down and distance before each snap.

But I tell you this in honesty. It might go unnoticed, but when you attend games with poor announcing you notice it immediately. Indiana Hoosier Football, I’m looking directly at you.

Ohio State football games at The Shoe will forever be different as we learned late Sunday night that longtime PA announcer Bob Kennedy had passed away at the age of 59 according to a press release by the Ohio State University Athletic Department.

According to Ohio State, Kennedy was scheduled to announce the Ohio State vs. Illinois baseball game on Sunday when he didn’t show up at Bill Davis Stadium. Athletic Department officials contacted the authorities to do a wellness check at his residence when he was found deceased.

Outside of his duties of being the voice for Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, alongside other numerous announcing duties with the University, Kennedy also did the same gig at his alma mater, Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. He also worked for the Columbus, Clipper organization, which is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. As if he wasn’t busy enough, he also worked as an on-air personality for the WDLR radio station in Delaware, Ohio.

Jerry Emig, Associate AD for Communications at Ohio State had the following kind words to say about Kennedy, “Bob had a big heart and he loved his Buckeyes. And, he loved his PA jobs. He was a true professional at his craft and a friend to us all. He knew our coaches and student-athletes and he certainly knew the histories well of many Ohio State sports, and he loved to talk about them.”