National Football Foundation

The National Football Foundation NFF & College Hall of Fame announced that University of Washington play-by-play announcer Bob Rondeau will be the 2016 recipient of the NFF Chris Schenkel Award. 

“Bob Rondeau has had an exceptional broadcasting career as the Voice of the Huskies, spanning more than 35 years, and during that time, his voice has become synonymous with one of the greatest college football traditions in the country,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are pleased to honor him with the 2016 NFF Chris Schenkel Award in recognition of his distinguished career.”

Rondeau begins his 36^th season as the play-by-play voice of Washington football this fall (1980-2016). He began broadcasting games for the Huskies in 1978 as an analyst alongside legendary Seattle sportscaster Bruce King before taking over the main play-by-play duties in 1981. Rondeau has also served as the voice of Husky basketball for 30 years.

After graduating from the University of Colorado, Rondeau bounced around different news stations in Denver and Phoenix. He launched his sportscasting career in 1977 by recording himself calling horse races from the roof of the press box at Turf Paradise Race Course, a horse racing track in Phoenix. Discouraged and about to discontinue his sportscasting dream, he received two offers from Seattle radio stations, accepting the sports director job at KOMO. 

The following year, KOMO landed the broadcast rights for Washington football and basketball games. The station hired King and paired him with Rondeau, who had never called football play-by-play, to cover the Huskies. When King left two years later, Rondeau assumed the lead role as the Voice of the Huskies.

During his three-decade career in Seattle, Rondeau has covered some of Washington’s greatest coaches and student-athletes, including College Football Hall of Famers Steve Emtman, Lincoln Kennedy and coach Don James, and NFF National Scholar Athletes Dan Eernissee, Hugh Millen, David Rill and Jim Nevelle. His time at Washington has included the 1991 national championship, seven Pac-10 championships, four Heisman Trophy finalists and countless legendary calls.

Rondeau represents the fourth Schenkel Award recipient with ties to the Pac-12 Conference, joining broadcasters Bob Robertson (Washington State, 2004), Larry Zimmer (Colorado, 2009) and Joe Starkey (California, 2010).