After more than 30 years of service to Mississippi State athletics, Hank Flick’s iconic voice will no longer be heard over game-day public address systems.
Mike Nemeth, senior associate athletic director, said the athletic department has opted to go in a new direction and use a different PA announcer during football and basketball games. Jonathan Holmes took over the PA role during the Maroon and White spring football game Saturday.
“We appreciate what Dr. Flick did for us through all the years,” Nemeth said. “We appreciate his devotion.”
MSU athletic director Greg Byrne declined to comment on the transition.
Flick, who lent his voice to everything from announcing first downs during football games and listing the starting players before a basketball game, said the happiest days of his life have been spent working with the athletic department.
“The coaches, staff and the players – they are my heroes,” he said. “As a teacher, you try to teach your students service, and that’s what you do – serve.”
Although neither Flick nor athletic department spokespersons would comment about the reasons behind the departure, Flick said he was always committed to his job and his friends in the athletic department.
“I told them I’m a good soldier, and I’m willing to fall on my sword,” he said. “I love my university, and I would never want to hurt it.”
Students and fans alike are still taken back by the unexpected dismissal announced on Saturday.
Senior men’s basketball center Brian Johnson said the athletic department will be hard pressed to find someone who can replace Flick’s energy and enthusiasm during basketball games.
“Unless they are going to get someone like . Dick Vitale or someone like that, it’s going to be hard to replace him. When you hear Hank’s voice, you know he’s the voice of MSU basketball,” Johnson said. “No matter what people are doing – eating popcorn, tending to their kids and stuff like that – when Hank says ‘Everybody up,’ people are going to stop what they are doing. They know we are ready to play.”
Tommy Bingham, a local residential contractor, attended MSU in the ’90s. He said Flick’s introductions at sporting events are memories that State fans will always hold dear.
“It is something you take with you for years; it’s something you take away from college,” he said. “When you come back, Hank reminds you of your days there. He is a staple in Mississippi State life.”
Kyle Veazey, The Clarion-Ledger’s MSU sports beat writer, first widely reported the news of Flicks’s dismissal Saturday. Veazey broke the story to his blog after Nemeth text messaged him, confirming the dismissal. Bingham said he felt the athletic department handled the announcement incorrectly.
“I feel it was an inappropriate way to end [the] tenure of a man who has given his all to the job the university asked him to,” he said. “Most MSU fans would have liked to of heard it from [Nemeth’s] mouth rather than a text sent to Veazey. Dr. Flick should have been given the opportunity to address the situation himself rather than being booted out the door.”
In regard to the dismissal itself, Bingham said he did not know if he agreed or disagreed with the athletic department’s decision.
“When you attend professional sporting events . the tone of the PA announcer is certainly different than what we have at MSU, but different doesn’t always make it better,” he said. “I don’t think Hank’s style would have ever fit in with the direction Greg Byrne is trying to take us – in an overall, more professional sports atmosphere. It is my hope that Hank was [given] the opportunity to change some of his stylistic comments rather than being fired from the job.”
While football fans experienced Holmes’s style as PA announcer during the spring game, his future at the position is not yet solidified.
Nemeth said the athletic department has not yet made a decision about Flick’s permanent replacement.
“What we intend to do is gauge the interest in the position. We’ve been contacted by individuals who want to be considered for it,” Nemeth said. “I think we’ll have someone in place before the season. We don’t want to be testing individuals during the season.”
Sports Editor Justin Ammon contributed to this article.