Memories and history

Arizona Daily Wildcat Photo courtesy of Sports Information Department Bruce Larson (left) and Dave Sitton were the voices for Wildcat athletics for 10 years at KTTU-18. Their last broadcast was last Thursday's men's basketball game against Southern Cal.

Well, they were the voice of Wildcat athletics. After last Thursday's broadcast of the men's basketball team's demolition of Southern Cal 88-73 at McKale Center, the cameras were turned off and they wiped their makeup down one last time ending a 12-year relationship between UA athletics and KTTU-18 and KMSB-TV.

Sitton, a former assistant to the athletic director from 1984-86, and Larson, a former head basketball coach for 11 years from 1961-72, have been together on Wildcat broadcasts of football, basketball and formerly baseball for 10 years.

Their broadcasts were limited to any game which was not televised by networks through Pacific 10 Conference agreements.

During the span of those 10 years on KTTU-18 and KMSB-TV, Sitton and Larson had grown together in the broadcasting booth, with each developing his own style, yet sharing some of the same memories.

"It is a tie between Damon Stoudamire when he put up 40 points at Stanford in a game that had Pac-10 ramifications and Jason Terry this year at Oregon," Sitton said of his favorite memory. "Damon took over the game and just stepped up and manhandled everyone. The same can be said for Terry."

While Larson didn't mention Stoudamire's performance at Stanford, he was very adamant about Terry's 37 point performance at Oregon earlier in the season.

"We saw great players, but the thing that will always stand out was Jason Terry's performance at Oregon," Larson said. "I don't think I have ever seen a player impact a game in so many areas - the scoring, assists and steals, deflections he created and his ability to rotate on defense and fill in. He just did so many things in that game."

Putting memories aside, Sitton and Larson now have to wait as Fox Sports Arizona will determine their futures as commentators for Wildcat athletics.

FSA has been notified that it has won the bid for television rights for UA athletics and now is in a waiting process as the UA and Fox Sports consummate a contract.

As for Sitton and Larson, they don't know if they will be doing the broadcasts for Fox.

"Fox has not made any indications of what they are going to do," Sitton said.

Whether or not their voices are ever heard again during a UA athletic event, the two of them can boast that they saw the UA athletic department grow into the national powerhouse it is today.

"The growth of UA sports was parallel with the association of the Pac-10 and hiring of extraordinary coaches. I don't think the most hardened Wildcat fan understands the caliber of the UA coaches across the boards," Sitton said. " It is a program that is scandal-free and in demand on people's schedules. I was on the staff when we did a poster of Lute in front of McKale with a hard hat on building a program in Tucson."

While Sitton, 43, has been associated with UA athletics for 20 years, not including his years as an undergraduate, Larson has been here since he was a player for Fred Enke, whom he lettered for in 1949 and 1950.

"I have been here for all the programs, I witnessed it all. In Lute's case he came in at the lowest step. He started from scratch. He had a few good players but had to recruit," Larson said. "He started with JC players from California because he had roots there. As the program developed, he was able to recruit nationally. He is the foundation of the program. He got better and better players and he gave them freedom, an up-tempo offense."

Sitton's broadcasting career will continue no matter what Fox decides as he is the ESPN, Fox Sports World and Fox Sports Net voice of rugby. He is the president of the Enterprise Communications Group, a local marketing firm and the head coach of the UA club rugby team.

Larson's time at UA also is not over as he serves as an associate professor in the UA Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences.