I miss Bruce Johnson

[Loyal_2RU]

The current radio team is pleasant enough but I can't visualize the game as they call it, I learn nothing about the team, program, or history by listening to them, and the passion feels different, not as good.

Reminiscing as I think about Friday.
Loyal

 

[NickKnight 1]

Is he the one Schiano forced out?

 

[RUPete]

What was that line he always had when visiting St. Bonaventure in Olean, NY? Something about being at the end of the earth! Man, we played in some brutal bandboxes in that league. Olean, St. Joe's Alumni Hall, Temple McGonigle, UMass Curry Hicks Cage - my personal favorite. You know that playing in a cage is generally going to suck.

 

[colbert17]

Olean is not at the end of the earth...but you can see it from there.

 

[RUPete]

Olean is not at the end of the earth...but you can see it from there.

That's it! Great line!

 

[ColonelRutgers]

He was a pretty good basketball play by play guy with the exception of that horrible "off the rim and in" call which drove me crazy. But, I associate Bruce will a lot of horrendous road losses because I was only listening to him for road games. Not his fault, but can't separate the two. Not a good football play by play guy to me.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

I really do miss Rutgers going from left to right in your radio dial.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Is the newspaper writer Brent Johnson his son? And yes, I know Johnson is about as uncommon as Jones, Smith, Brown.

 

[e5fdny]

Olean is not at the end of the earth...but you can see it from there.

That's it! Great line!

He even said it in an annoyed voice too. LOL

And I agree with @ColonelRutgers vis a vis play by play for Football. Don’t miss him there at all. Sorry, Bruce.

 

[ColonelRutgers]

Is the newspaper writer Brent Johnson his son? And yes, I know Johnson is about as uncommon as Jones, Smith, Brown.

Yes

 

[RU#1fan]

Miss both Bruce Johnson and the Neil Solonz Sports Radio Show on 1450 AM ( many calls from Skip in Elizabeth). Was the best for RU Sports talk.

Bruce on RU Football games on the radio was priceless “ Here we are at the venerable Milah Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia “ .

 

[Rhuarc]

I listened to the first half of the second round game and thought it was pretty bad. The color guy in particular made it very difficult to listen to.

 

[Sideline20]

Miss both Bruce Johnson and the Neil Solonz Sports Radio Show on 1450 AM ( many calls from Skip in Elizabeth). Was the best for RU Sports talk.

Bruce on RU Football games on the radio was priceless “ Here we are at the venerable Milah Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia “ .

"The wheels are coming off here in Morgantown"

 

[bac2therac]

I just found a tape of Bruce calling an unlikely win in Olean rallying from 18 down circa early to mid 90s

 

[hinson32]

My biggest pet peeve with Bruce was at least twice a game he would say a basketball was made and then two seconds later would come, “the ball comes out “

 

[Plum Street]

Bingo !
Lost it, got it back .
a new biggest lead
He was great at basketball letting you know where the ball was and the score. It’s a different time now with all the games on tv. Who listens to the radio broadcast unless you’re driving around ?

schiano got rid of him and he hung around basketball longer. I think hill got rid of him

walk, no call was my favorite .

 

[HPNJRUfan]

I'd have to look for it on an old computer, but I have an audio file someone posted on this board around 2003:

ACDC's "Thunderstruck" with Bruce Johnson's call of the Nate Jones opening kick TD at Tennessee dubbed into the opening

 

[RUfan1027]

Betweens the rings and right coffin corner

 

[mikeyo]

What was that line he always had when visiting St. Bonaventure in Olean, NY? Something about being at the end of the earth! Man, we played in some brutal bandboxes in that league. Olean, St. Joe's Alumni Hall, Temple McGonigle, UMass Curry Hicks Cage - my personal favorite. You know that playing in a cage is generally going to suck.

Like it did circa 1976 for all the teams that had to play RU at
The Barn. The very epitome of a bandbox. But it was GREAT

 

[RU848789]

He was a pretty good basketball play by play guy with the exception of that horrible "off the rim and in" call which drove me crazy. But, I associate Bruce will a lot of horrendous road losses because I was only listening to him for road games. Not his fault, but can't separate the two. Not a good football play by play guy to me.

Loved Bruce for hoops, but not for football, so no issue with him being replaced in football. However, he was able to paint very accurate word-pictures in basketball, which helped visualize the game. Phrases like, from the line to the lane, the elbow jumper, between the rings, from beyond the arc, etc. were all helpful. And his oddball idiosyncracies were kind of fun too, like newest biggest lead, left to right on your radio dial, Bingo!, and of course, his incredibly detailed descriptions of each team's uniforms (with the white trim and scarlet numerals...).

 

[BKIn118]

Jerry and Joe are GREAT!

But since we are talking about Bruce...I was lucky enough to have Bruce Johnson introduce our wedding party as a starting 5 at our reception when Janet and I got married back in 2009. It was a moment I will NEVER forget!

 

[KevH]

That's it! Great line!

There was a certain charm about Bruce that's never been replaced... not even close. I don't remember the last hoops game I listened to on the radio.

 

[knights1212]

For me Bruce was the best. I won his trivia contest several times. Once I didn't receive what I had won. I called him at WCTC. I was the head cross country coach at Edison High School and he said to me he was speaking at our fall sports banquet the next week. He arrived with a large canvas bag filled with over 10 gifts from WCTC. When I attended the Rutgers-Florida game in Gainesville in November 2007 he came right over and spoke with me before the game started. He was a wonderful guy. I miss him and hope he is doing well.

 

[Night Man]

I don't think it was FHJ who had him canned, but I don't think he did anything to support Bruce at that time. Not that it was his job to do so, but his word would have probably carried the day.

Some said he was too negative, some were happy to have Carlin take over, I don't give much weight to those peoples' opinions.

I miss his calls a lot. I don't get the sense that he considers himself a part of the RU community, so I think he's going about his business this week without too much sentimentality over the achievement.

I like Recco and Boylan well enough.

 

[Spare130]

Bruce was the best.

the happy recap.

 

[Spare130]

I think it was uncle Bob that wanted him gone

 

[knight82]

I think it was uncle Bob that wanted him gone

I think it was more KMac than Uncle Bob

 

[Spare130]

I think it was more KMac than Uncle Bob

What was the reason for it? I don’t even remember

 

[knight82]

What was the reason for it? I don’t even remember

KMac wanted someone with connections and didn't think Bruce was "big time" enough. Which I completely disagree with

 

[Sideline20]

New biggest lead

 

[DirtyRU]

"Rutgers inbounding the ball. Looking... looking... looking... STILL looking..." 😁

I also remember him ALWAYS describing the color uniforms each team was wearing. "Rutgers, wearing their home white uniforms, with red lettering, red numerals and black & red trim"... or something to that effect. The man really painted a visual for the listener. He was great!!!!

 

[G- RUnit]

Bruce was great!!! Bled RU through and through! Mulcahy firing him was inexcusable. Karma!

Hope he is enjoying this! He deserves it as much as any old timer.

Before cable TV, WCTC was a life saver!

 

[Spare130]

New biggest lead

Lollll if we were down 2-0 and douby hit a 3 he’d say douby has 3 on the night Rutgers has its biggest lead of 1 and we have our first Lead change.

 

[G- RUnit]

Is he the one Schiano forced out?

AD should have said no! He didn't.

 

[Spare130]

Jerry and Joe are GREAT!

But since we are talking about Bruce...I was lucky enough to have Bruce Johnson introduce our wedding party as a starting 5 at our reception when Janet and I got married back in 2009. It was a moment I will NEVER forget!

I agree Jerry and joe are awesome... but for people like me who started following when BJ was announcing, he’s impossible to replace. That was also back when less than half of the games were on TV so most of the away games we’d listen on the radio.

 

[Spare130]

KMac wanted someone with connections and didn't think Bruce was "big time" enough. Which I completely disagree with

Wow so they replaced him with Carlin who, I think is a very good football announcer, but was atrocious at basketball.

 

[dollarbill]

We'll be right back with the happy (unhappy) recap. $$$$

 

[e5fdny]

I'd have to look for it on an old computer, but I have an audio file someone posted on this board around 2003:

ACDC's "Thunderstruck" with Bruce Johnson's call of the Nate Jones opening kick TD at Tennessee dubbed into the opening

Pretty sure that was Tom McCarthy as I have that same audio file also on computer I need to find too.

And I might have been the one to post it.

 

[Loyal_2RU]

Is he the one Schiano forced out?

Only from football

 

[Loyal_2RU]

I agree Jerry and joe are awesome... but for people like me who started following when BJ was announcing, he’s impossible to replace. That was also back when less than half of the games were on TV so most of the away games we’d listen on the radio.

Sorry, when I listen to the games that seen like nice guys but that are having a conversation and the game and the listeners seem secondary

I can't follow or visualize the games.