Mike Walden (2009) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Mike Walden

Induction:
2009

Mike Walden was the voice of the Trojans from 1966 to 1972, handling USC football and basketball play-by-play duties in his distinctive style (and his even-more-distinctive wardrobe!). During that time, the Trojan footballers appeared in 5 Rose Bowls and won a pair of national championships (1967 and 1972), while the 1971 hoopsters posted a 24-2 record. A member of the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame (he was its president for 5 years), he began his broadcasting career in his hometown of Springfield, Ill., then after 2 years of service in the Air Force he did the play-by-play of his alma mater, Illinois. Next, he moved to Milwaukee to call Wisconsin, Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Braves games before coming to the West Coast to announce Trojan athletics. He also was a broadcaster for MLB’s Dodgers (1970) and Cardinals (1972). After his USC stint, Walden moved across town and called UCLA sports for 18 years (1973-90), becoming the first person in history to serve as the broadcast voice of both universities. The winner of numerous Golden Mike Awards, he also did daily local sports reports on KNX and KFI radio and KTLA-TV, as well as handling play-by-play in cable television’s infancy for ON-TV and Prime Ticket (where he again called many USC events). And he earned a cult following with his on-camera appearances on the quirky “Super Dave” TV shows. He is a member of the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame. He died on Feb. 12, 2017, at age 89.