Clark: Jeff Culhane taking over the mic from Gene Deckerhoff no easy task
Florida State fans are used to institutions in their athletics department.
Bobby Bowden was one. Mike Martin Sr. was one. Leonard Hamilton is one.
But all three of those guys, through portions of their careers, had detractors. They had people calling for their jobs at one time or another, wanting to move in a different direction.
Gene Deckerhoff is an institution with zero critics.
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And man, that voice. That unmistakable voice we all grew up with. Even in the midst of disappointing football and basketball seasons, the all-time great still managed to make plays in the second quarter against Louisville sound like they were Ward to Dunn in 1993.
You think it's hard to replace a legend on the field?
Try replacing one who in the booth, someone who is so beloved — and so generally nice a person — that he can't possibly have any real critics. Just fans who will always love that voice and that excitement.
So, welcome to the party, Jeff Culhane!
You've got a big seat to fill, my friend.
* ALSO SEE: FSU announces new voice of ’Noles sports: Jeff Culhane
Culhane comes to Tallahassee from North Dakota State. If you're not aware, North Dakota State is located in Fargo. And if you follow college football at all, you probably have at least a partial understanding of just how good the Bison have been at the FCS level.
Here is a quick breakdown: They win the national title just about every year. Sincerely. That's the case. Since 2010, North Dakota State has won NINE national championships. Since joining the FCS in 2008, the Bison have gone an impossible 41-3 in the postseason.
Culhane has been on the mic since August of 2016, which means he's broadcast a whole bunch of wins - and championships - for the Bison. In that job he also took over for a local legend, who had become synonymous with that university's sports teams.
So, this isn't his first rodeo in that regard.
But with all due respect to the sensational program up in Fargo, North Dakota State isn't Florida State in terms of reach, prestige and audience.
And this job won't be like the one Deckerhoff had either. Not entirely.
Because Culhane is coming in not just to take over the football and basketball gigs -- he beat out an estimated 150 candidates for the spot — but he'll also apparently be overseeing much of the other broadcasts on campus as well (like the ACC Network-plus games in baseball and softball).
He'll have his imprint on more than just Saturdays in the fall.
If you're interested in what Culhane actually sounds like on the mic, and I would imagine most of you are, click on that link above. It's from a national semifinal game against James Madison last year that came down to the final play.
I like his voice. It's not Deckerhoff, but who is? And he seems to appreciate and explain the magnitude of the moment before, during and after the play. I liked what I heard.
And so apparently did Learfield and the powers that be at Florida State.
Culhane has called 21 playoff games in the last six years, which has to be the most of anyone in the country. And he's been behind the mic for four national championships.
Let's hope he gets to experience more of the same at Florida State.
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Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council