By Sadie Hunter
Bill Etherton of Noblesville enjoys sharing anecdotes from his career as a sportscaster for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball and football teams and as a radio host.
Like the time he had a one-on-one interview with musician Louis Armstrong on a day so hot Armstrong sat in his underclothes throughout the interview, or the times he met President Ronald Reagan and talked radio broadcasting in sports.
Etherton published his book, “Good Night and Good Sports: Broadcasting Notre Dame Football and Basketball for Over Fifteen Years,” which recounts stories from his career, this year.
“The book is really a recap of many of my experiences,” he said. “I went into radio before television came in. I used to listen to Bill Stern (credited with the first telecast of a baseball game) and Ted Husing (Army football, CBS) and the great national guys like Mel Allen (New York Yankees). I’d go down to Merrifield Park in Mishawaka when I was a little kid, and I would imagine, ‘Here I am at the Rose Bowl in California. Bill Etherton speaking to you from the Rose Bowl.’”
Etherton, now 86, began his career as a radio deejay at local radio stations in his hometown of Mishawaka, Ind., close to South Bend, before becoming the voice of Notre Dame football and basketball for 15 years in the Coach Ara Parseghian era, retiring in 1970.
Filled cover to cover with stories from a classic time in Notre Dame sports, Etherton says the book is good for anyone who loves and appreciates sports and anything Notre Dame, like Etherton, who keeps his Notre Dame Christmas tree up year round and enthusiastically yells, “Go Irish!” on his outgoing voicemail message.
“Good Night and Good Sports” is available on amazon.com.
