Add Penfield - Voice of the Duke Blue Devils

[callaway]

Add was the voice of the Blue Devils from 1952 until 1976. He began his broadcast career while a student at Duke when Wallace Wade persuaded a network to hire him. Add was 91 years old. Rest in peace, my friend.

http://pughfuneralhome.com/obituary_view/73109

[-jk]

He was also inducted into the NC Sports Hall of Fame (http://www.ncshof.org/inductees_detail.php?i_recid=156)

"His professional life was perhaps best characterized by Bob Harris, the man who succeeded him as voice of the Blue Devils in 1976: 'He has been a beacon for all of us in the broadcast industry.'"

-jk

[4decadedukie]

From the obituary: "He was a recipient of the State of North Carolina's Order of the Long Leaf Pine and Citizen of the Year in Asheboro in 2001."

[Indoor66]

Ad Penfield was the voice of the Blue Devils for almost 40 years. He was followed at that mike by our own Bob Harris.

Penfield had a somewhat smooth but gravelly voice. He covered the games with a flow that was enjoyable to hear. He was enthusiastic without being audacious. I enjoyed his broadcasts from an era when that was the only way to follow the Blue Devils on the road. Very few games were broadcast on TV - usually only the ACC Game of the Week on Saturdays on the Raycom-Pilot network.

Ad covered Duke in all of it's NCAA and NIT games up until his retirement in '76 - including four final fours and two NIT's. He is a fine part of Duke Basketball history.

RIP Ad Penfield.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Ad Penfield was the voice of the Blue Devils for almost 40 years. He was followed at that mike by our own Bob Harris.

Penfield had a somewhat smooth but gravelly voice. He covered the games with a flow that was enjoyable to hear. He was enthusiastic without being audacious. I enjoyed his broadcasts from an era when that was the only way to follow the Blue Devils on the road. Very few games were broadcast on TV - usually only the ACC Game of the Week on Saturdays on the Raycom-Pilot network.

Ad covered Duke in all of it's NCAA and NIT games up until his retirement in '76 - including four final fours and two NIT's. He is a fine part of Duke Basketball history.

RIP Ad Penfield.

Not only did Add Penfield cover basketball, he covered football over a span of time when Duke football was the stuff of legend. His career began in a time when your radio was indeed your source for following Duke sports on the air. I can remember many Saturday afternoons while growing up that my dad and grandfather would tune in to the Duke Radio Network to follow the Duke games. Add Penfield was still the announcer while I was an undergraduate as well. It's difficult to put into words what a loss his passing is. He was truly one of the great people who have contributed to making Duke what it is today.

[Olympic Fan]

Add was the voice of my youth -- listening to him call the great Bubas teams.

For the younger fans here who never got to hear him, just understand that he means to my generation what Bob Harris meant to yours.

Maybe more in a way, since in his era onl;y 5-10 games a year would be on TV and Add would be our only link to Duke basketball games.

He did a great job. Sad to hear of his passing ...

[CBDUKE]

I grew up listening to him on the radio. As the previous person said he was the Bob Harris of his day. He always referred to Art Heyman and his team as "King Arthur and his knights of the round ball". Rest in peace.

[Verga3]

A family member shares this...touching and wonderful.

http://socialmediaexperiment.com/?p=67

[hq2]

He will be missed. When you turned on WDNC to hear a Duke game back then, you knew that voice. Many great (and not so great) Duke basketball moments were broadcast by him. Sad to hear him go.

[killerleft]

I remember listening to Add Penfield. Anybody know if there are recordings of Mr. Penfield that can be accessed through the internet? It would be nice to hear his voice again.