Kesling, ‘Voice of Vols,’ now a Tennessee Radio Hall of Famer
Vol Network’s Bob Kesling, “Voice of the Vols” in UT Football and Men’s Basketball with long-standing ties to Farragut, has been inducted into Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame, which is sponsored by Tennessee Association of Broadcasters. Kesling joins an exclusive list of previous honorees with Tennessee Athletics and Vol Radio Network ties.
Beginning with the 1999-2000 season, Kesling has served as “Voice of the Vols” on radio and television. The UT graduate and versatile multimedia host represents Tennessee Athletics in various on- and off-air capacities as director of Broadcasting. He is a four-time recipient of the “Sportscaster of the Year” award representing the state of Tennessee.
With an association to UT dating back 50 years, Kesling is the longest-serving member in the history of the 75-year-old Vol Network.
His play-by-play duties are carried on 60-plus stations that make up the Vol Radio Network – one of the largest networks in collegiate sports.
Kesling also serves as the host for “Vol Calls,” the weekly coaches call-in radio show and the “Big Orange Hotline” during the football season. He also hosts “The Josh Heupel Show” and “The Rick Barnes Show” on the Vol Television Network.
Kesling began his association with the University of Tennessee as a walk-on fullback on the 1972 freshman football team. His broadcasting career began in 1974 as a film editor for the “Bill Battle Show” on the Vol Television Network while he was a student at the University of Tennessee.
Beginning In 1976, Kesling became the spotter for John Ward on Vol Network radio broadcasts. He sat beside the legendary “Voice of the Vols” for 15 seasons in the Vol Network booth, also handling pre-game, halftime and post-game interviews.
Kesling also has a long history with the Lady Vol basketball team. He served as the radio play-by-play voice from 1978 through 1999, calling legendary head coach Pat Summitt’s first six NCAA National Championships.
WIVK Radio in Knoxville named Kesling its Sports director in 1976. In 1980, Kesling was named Sports director at WBIR-TV, NBC’s affiliate in Knoxville, and was Channel 10’s 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. anchor.
During his time at WBIR-TV, Kesling also worked for Jefferson-Pilot Sports on its SEC Television package. He joined the basketball network, serving as pre-game host and play-by-play announcer in 1989 and joined the football broadcasts as a sideline reporter and play-by-play announcer in 1992. He remained with WBIR and Jefferson-Pilot Sports until he accepted the Vol Network “Voice” positions in 1999.
During his extensive broadcasting career, Kesling has been a longtime member of the SEC Radio Network and also broadcasted various sporting events on CBS/Westwood One Radio, FOX Sports, FOX SportSouth and the SEC Network. He also called Knoxville Cherokees hockey, Knoxville Blue Jays baseball and Nashville Sounds baseball.
Active in the community, Kesling serves on the board of directors for Goodwill, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame and was 2013 United Way Campaign chairperson. He also is a 2015 inductee into Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame and Tennessee Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame in 2020. A 1977 UT graduate, Kesling and his wife, Tami, have two daughters: Allison and Melissa.
The original Vol Network announcer, Hall of Famer Lindsey Nelson (1948-50), and Mr. Ward (1968-1999) were members of the inaugural Hall of Fame Class in 2012. In 2013, another Vol Network play-by-play “Voice,” George Mooney (1952-1967), was inducted. Others include UT public address announcer Bobby Denton (1967-2013) and Vol Network basketball analyst Lowell Blanchard (1966-68), both enshrined in 2015.
Mike Keith, former Vol Network talk show host and “ex-Voice of the Baseball Vols” who has been “Voice of the Tennessee Titans” since 1997, was inducted in 2020.
