Voice of Bulldogs wins Schenkel Award

Cristil

Jack Cristil has been announcing Mississippi State sports on the radio for 44 seasons. Now he's only the second broadcaster to receive the Chris Schenkel Award from the College Football Hall of Fame.

Presented for broadcasting excellence, the inaugural award was given in 1996 to Schenkel himself. Cristil received the 1997 version at the Hall of Fame's Enshrinement Banquet in South Bend, Ind., in August.

Entering the 1997 Mississippi State football season, Cristil had called the action on 466 games since he became the Voice of the Bulldogs in 1953. He also has called Bulldog basketball games since 1957, and it is estimated he has worked some 1,400 Mississippi State games.

The much-honored radio veteran received the Ronald Reagan Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992, and that same year he became the first non-player or coach to be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Cristil has received the Outstanding Broadcaster in Mississippi Award 23 times during his career.