Billy J. "Bill" Haney - Broadcast Announcer
N 35° 53.572 W 088° 48.687
16S E 336509 N 3973581
Billy J. "Bill" Haney was a sports announcer in West Tennessee for over 50 years and known for his signature basketball phrase of "SHOT IT GOT IT". He is in multiple hall-of-fames and helped start a radio station and multiple sports radio networks.
Waymark Code: WMPWR8
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 10/31/2015
Views: 2
Billy J. "Bill" Haney, was a Milan, Tennessee resident and a popular Tennessee radio sportscaster for over fifty years and political leader in Gibson County. He was born in Newbern, TN on January 9, 1930 and died at his house in Milan on August 23, 2008.
During his career from 1955 onward, Mr. Haney was the radio voice for many sports teams, including the Milan High School Bulldogs, the University of Tennessee Martin Pacers and Skyhawks, and the pro football Memphis Grizzlies.
He was inducted as a sportscaster into three Sports Halls of Fame: Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) in 1994, Gibson County as a charter member in 1995, and the University of Tennessee in Martin in 2001.
Bill was a 1949 graduate of Newbern High School where he was quarterback and captain of the football team and a three-year letterman. He later worked as a TSSAA high school football official and baseball umpire many years.
After high school he was employed by the FBI in Washington, D.C., where he attended the School of Broadcasting. He was a U. S. Army veteran, serving in the ''Big Red 1'' First Infantry in Germany during the Korean War.
Finishing radio school at the Keegan's School of Broadcasting in Memphis, Tennessee, he worked one year in Aberdeen, Mississippi before moving to Milan.
A pioneer in Tennessee sports broadcasting, Haney was credited as being the first to broadcast state tournament basketball games and a founder with the late Monte Hale, Sr. of the Tennessee Basketball State Network. The network of 22 radio stations was authorized by TSSAA in 1993 and managed by Haney and Dick Palmer. Mr. Haney was credited with starting the UT Martin Sports Network in 1978. He broadcast UTM basketball and football games until 2000.
He covered TSSAA high school sports for 38 years (1955-92), estimating that he covered over 1,500 high school games. He was often being assisted by wife, Peggy, as the statistician.
Mr. Haney helped open the first radio station in Milan, WKBJ-AM in 1955 where he was later part owner and hosted shows as ''B.J., the D. J.'' and also broadcast basketball and football games. He worked as an announcer for WKBJ from April, 1955 through August, 1983 and managed the station from 1962 through 1983 when it was bought by Andrew Jackson Broadcasting Corporation of Lebanon, TN.
Mr. Haney was active in civic affairs and held many public offices, including a term as Gibson County Executive starting in 1986. He was a long time member of the Gibson County Commission representing Milan and served as a city alderman and school board member in Milan. He was president of the Milan Jaycees and the American Legion Baseball Team.
He received many community honors, being named the Milan Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year (1996) and Jaycees Young Man of the Year (1965). He was active in the Milan Cumberland Presbyterian Church, where he was an Ordained Deacon and was active until his health reclined. He served on the Building Committee during construction of the new church
Is Gravestone Showing Occupation or Hobby?: Occupation
What is depicted occupation or hobby?: Sports Broadcaster
Date of birth: 01/09/1930
Date of death: 08/23/2008
Access hours and days:
24/7/365
|
Visit Instructions:Original picture of grave(nothing should be placed on grave stone).
Logs with pictures which are deemed to be inappropriate will be deleted.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|