Still Roaring: Jim Phillips's Life in Broadcasting

Jim Phillips was the only voice of the Clemson Tigers for generations of fans. For 36 years, his matter-of-fact play by play brought Clemson athletics to life over the radio in South Carolina and wherever the Clemson network was broadcast. Phillips covered football from Frank Howard to Tommy Bowden, including the 1981 national championship season under Danny Ford. He broadcast Clemson's first 15 NCAA tournament games in seven appearances. In workmanlike fashion, he helped build audiences and credibility for baseball and women's basketball when many top college broadcasters delegated those sports to less experienced colleagues. Although Jim Phillips died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm on September 9, 2003, his memories endure in Still Roaring: Tales of a Life in Broadcasting. In interviews before his death, Phillips told the story of his life to author Ken Tysiac. They talked about football in the president's box after games at Death Valley; about basketball at a Chili's Restaurant halfway between Duke and Chapel Hill; and about college baseball at Cascio's Restaurant in Omaha during the College World Series. In Still Roaring, Phillips recalls a personal guarantee from Charlie Waters before a huge victory for venerable coach Frank Howard. He shares memories of quiet time spent with Danny Ford after the Tigers captured the national title in the Orange Bowl, and he relates the message Rick Barnes gave the Clemson basketball team before a rare, memorable win at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium. He also traces the beginnings of future major leaguers such as Mark Lemke and David Justice back to the time Phillips covered them with the Greenville Braves. Phillips's memoirs are often humorous andalways heartfelt--a personal history of Clemson athletics and the South Carolina sports scene.