Four More Years

10-19-92

Four More Years

by Woody guest columnist

It was a pretty good week for Cobber sports. The football team won easily. The volleyball team made a good showing in a tourney. And, while most people were distracted by the national elections, a big story was unfolding at Concordia, with serious ramifications for the future of Cobber football on 1550 AM radio.

Cobber play-by-play announcer Larry Knutson has asked for four more years in that job. Current color commentator, Jerry Pyle, is campaigning hard to replace Knutson, claiming it's time for change. The battle heated up last week with charges and counter charges. Here's just some of the exchange in an increasingly bitter feud.

Pyle: "Fans are calling out for change all across Cobberland. They want an announcer who's not afraid to stick up for us. Knutson talks way too much about the other team."

Knutson: "I'm proud of my record. We cannot afford to become isolationist in the way we report the games. The time I spend with opposing coaches makes the broadcasts better for all Cobbers. I'm tired of being second-guessed by a failed writer from a small state."

Pyle: "Larry is not a bad person. It's just that he seems disengaged with what real Cobber fans are feeling. Last week, for instance, when he couldn't tell if it was Frank Haughn or Mike Jousma on a dive play, he just said it was Frank Jousma. We need a change."

Knutson: "The issue, as I see it, is trust. I've been in radio for 20 years. I know the coaches. I know the names of the stadiums. And I know the guys back at the studio. When it comes down to those big plays and you have to make the right call, who do you trust?"

Pyle: "Under Larry Knutson's watch, the Cobbers had one of their worst seasons ever, going 3-6 last year. We have also had the worst weather for our games in fifty years. I don't think the fans think of that as just a coincidence. It's time for change. The fans deserve change."

Knutson: "I've had a plan to improve the broadcasts, but that plan has been blocked by the sports information office. And we've been in gridlock up in the booth, with Pyle more interested in the perks of press box life than getting the job done. If he'd spend less time eating the donuts and worrying about his own private heater and more time paying attention, things would be better. Give me a color guy I can work with and you'll see real progress."

Pyle: "The heart of the problem is that he has no vision of how Cobbers should be portrayed."

Knutson: "I don't know what he's talking about when he mentions that `vision' thing. But I do know he wants to raise advertising rates and spend your money on glitzy production stuff that just doesn't work. He's wrong about that."

Pyle: "We need to move forward and we need to invest in the future if we want to compete. Besides, I only want to raise rates on our wealthiest advertisers, those who had a free ride in the eighties who can afford to pay."

Knutson: "For a guy who's most common phrase is 'ah...um..' and who's never had to make the tough calls, Pyle acts like he has a lot of answers. Here's a guy who went to East Berlin in 1986 with his basketball team but doesn't remember who he saw or who he met with. I think he should come clean about that trip."

Pyle: "My trip to Europe was a perfectly innocent trip that Knutson is trying to turn into something sinister. I'm deeply hurt that someone with such a miserable record and such a failed format would resort to insults."

Knutson: "Pyle waffles on everything. One minute he's singing the praises of quarterback Dan Sward and the next minute he's all over him like a cheap suit. He's the same about Andy Becker. There's a loyalty question there that troubles me.

But I also think that kind of waffling reflects a real inability to stand up for anything. I don't want to see us turn the press booth into a waffle booth."

Pyle: "I'm proud of my work as a broadcaster. I've worked hard to stay in touch with the real people who make this game so great. I like to think of myself as someone in the tradition of Dale Vande Loo, thoughtful, insightful and having a good perspective on the game."

Knutson: "I've known Dale Vande Loo for many years. I've worked with Dale Vande Loo. Dale Vande Loo is a friend of mine. And believe me, Pyle, you're no Dale Vande Loo."

In a recent preference poll taken of Cobber fans, Knutson is currently leading Pyle 98% to 2%. Although Pyle claims he doesn't trust polls, he does note that this recent poll proves that his ratings are way up compared to those from last year. And that means he has the momentum.

These pages are maintained by Jerry Pyle pyle@cord.edu. These articles are copyrighted © and may not be published or reproduced without the express permission of Jerry Pyle.

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