‘Right time to step away’: Bombers play-by-play announcer Bob Irving reflects on nearly 50-year career in the booth
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers West Division Final win marked the end of an era in the city.
Legendary radio play-by-play voice Bob Irving called his final game for the blue and gold after nearly 50 years in the booth.
The monumental occasion had the legendary sportscaster reminiscing about his illustrious career.
He said a chance meeting nearly 50 years ago had the then-Saskatchewan broadcaster packing his things and heading east to Winnipeg.
Irving ran into the then sports director at CJOB in the parking lot of the Clear Lake Golf Course in the summer of 1973.
“This is fate intervening,” Irving told CTV News Winnipeg. “He asked me what I was doing. I told him I was doing okay at CKX but I still wanted to get in to sportscasting, and he said, ‘You know what? We just had an opening. Why don't you send us a tape?’"
His big break came a year later in 1974 when he was named the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' new play-by-play announcer.
"I think when you're young, and I was 24, when I had the chance to do play-by-play, you just live for the moment, for the day. You're excited that you have to do something really cool and really special, and you don't think about how long it will last,” he said.
Irving has been the voice of the Bombers for more than half of the organization's existence, and the only voice many fans have ever known.
"People, some in tears when they talk to me about listening to Bomber games at a campground somewhere on a Friday night, sitting outside a campfire or whatever, and it's really moving. It really is,” he said.
Now, after 47 years at the helm, Irving is stepping away from the booth.
"You know, I've done it for a long time and as much as I still enjoy doing the games, it just felt like the right time to step away and see what the rest of my days on earth have in store for me," he said.
Irving’s finale could not have been scripted any better. He called his final Bombers game at IG Field against the team he grew up rooting for in his home town of Regina, in the first Western Division Final held in Winnipeg since 1972.
"It's an absolutely perfect ending for me. The script could not be written any better,” he said.
While members of the media are reminded of his excellence every time they walk in to the media centre, named after the legendary play-by-plan man, Irving has now received the team’s ultimate accolade – the first broadcaster to join IG Field’s Ring of Honour.
"It's just more than I would ever have expected when I was starting out in this business, and to be honoured in such a way is really beyond words for me, and I thank the Winnipeg Football Club for seeing me in that light and giving me this kind of prestigious award,” he said.
While the Bombers continue on to Hamilton to defend their Grey Cup title, Irving’s journey ended there.
He said he leaves with no regrets and a lifetime of memories.
"This Winnipeg community is a very special community. It's a caring community with a lot of great people here, and not all in the sports world,” he said.
“Those are the things I look back on now and certainly some of the sports memories are special but beyond that, it's just the people you meet along the way. I think most people in life would tell you that."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.