Bill Mercer: A Legendary Career in Media
Bill Mercer inspired a generation of local sportscasters and college students during his legendary career in media, including Craig Miller and George Dunham of Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 AM The Ticket [KTCK-AM].
Mercer, a member of the Texas Radio and Sports Hall of Fame, died Saturday at 99 years old from an aortic aneurysm, and the pair of his former students at the University of North Texas in the 1980s helped add to the eulogy of their former mentor on Monday morning during their show “The Musers.”
Early Life and Career
Born in 1926, Mercer was best known as a play-by-play radio announcer for multiple sports, including baseball, football, basketball, and professional wrestling, according to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. He also worked as a news reporter and covered the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963.
“His reporting there was just superb,” said Dunham.
“I remember in our classes at North Texas, he was telling us that his background in play-by-play in sports broadcasting helped him in news, because when he was live at a situation, as he would say, he was able to really describe it better than a lot of the newscasters could, because he had that description talent from play-by-play in his background,” Miller said.
Teaching and Mentoring
In addition to his 60-year broadcasting career, Mercer spent several decades teaching in UNT’s radio and television department.
According to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Mercer trained many of the best sports announcers in Texas. He also created and managed the university’s radio station and taught sports broadcasting to over 700 students from 1966-2006.
“What an incredible broadcast career. But the way we knew him, and so many knew him in his years at North Texas, think of the lives he impacted. Thousands of lives,” Dunham said. “He just, I don’t know, he cared deeply for the students there and wanted them to succeed, in whatever that was that they wanted to go into, news broadcasting or play-by-play. He tried to make it happen for them.”
Legacy and Impact
On Monday, Miller ran down a brief list of some notable names who also came through UNT during Mercer’s tenure, including Dallas Mavericks play-by-play voice Mark Followill, Rich Phillips, the longtime voice of SMU athletics, and Hall of Fame Texas Longhorns broadcaster Craig Way, among others.
“We were very lucky to be a part of the Mercer mafia, as they called it,” Miller said.
So sad to hear of the passing of the great Bill Mercer, mentor to so many of us who studied sports broadcasting under him at North Texas. What a legend. And he made it to 99! pic.twitter.com/LfqpKFSKaI
It is with great sadness to hear the news of Bill Mercer’s passing. Quite simply…none of us who came through the University of North Texas in the 80s and 90s with aspirations of a career in sports media, particularly play-by-play, would be wherever we are now without his… pic.twitter.com/MOkhF6HeKu
Awards and Recognition
In 2002, Mercer was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, and 18 years later in 2020 he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Before he died, Mercer was considered the oldest, living past president of Dallas-Fort Worth SAG-AFTRA having served during the 1960s.
Said Miller: “He packed a lot into a very long life. That’s a full 99 years, and we’re going to miss him.”
Conclusion
Bill Mercer’s legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched and the many students he mentored throughout his career. His impact on the world of sports broadcasting will never be forgotten.
Staff writer Zacharia Washington contributed to this post.
Find more sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
FAQs
Q: What was Bill Mercer’s career span?
A: Bill Mercer had a 60-year broadcasting career.
Q: What was Bill Mercer’s role at the University of North Texas?
A: Bill Mercer spent several decades teaching in UNT’s radio and television department and created and managed the university’s radio station.
Q: What awards did Bill Mercer receive?
A: Bill Mercer was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
