A beloved member of the Ohio State athletics community has passed.
Bob Kennedy, the public address announcer for Ohio State football home games and voice of the Buckeyes for 23 years, died Sunday according to a press release from the university's athletic department. He was 59.
Kennedy was scheduled to announce Ohio State baseball's series finale with Illinois on Sunday. When he did not arrive at the stadium, Ohio State athletic department officials contacted local authorities to do a wellness check at his residence north of Columbus. Kennedy was found dead in his home.
“Bob had a big heart, and he loved his Buckeyes,” said Jerry Emig, Ohio State's associate athletic director for communications. “He loved his PA jobs. He was a true professional at his craft and a friend to us all. He knew the local media, our administrators, coaches and student-athletes, and he certainly knew the histories well of many Ohio State sports, and he loved to talk about them.”
While many did not know what he looked like, Kennedy's voice boomed and echoed in Ohio Stadium for over two decades whenever Ohio State football hosted opponents in the Horseshoe. Kennedy also handled PA responsibilities for baseball, men's and women's soccer, field hockey, women's ice hockey, men's and women's volleyball and swimming and diving, while he also regularly filled in for men's basketball and men's ice hockey games.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith was among those who paid tribute to Kennedy on Sunday night.
RIP to a good man and great Buckeye. https://t.co/pCncjz1T4c
— Gene Smith (@OSU_AD) May 1, 2023
Outside of his role at Ohio State, Kennedy was the athletics PA announcer at his alma mater Otterbein University and worked for the Columbus Clippers, the Cleveland Guardians' Triple-A affiliate. Kennedy also had a career in radio, where he most recently worked as on-air talent for WDLR in Delaware, Ohio.
Otterbein's official Twitter account posted a tweet in remembrance of Kennedy on Sunday.
Bob Kennedy was a beloved, longtime member of the Otterbein community and the voice of Otterbein athletics. His big personality and kind nature will be missed by all who knew him. RIP Bob. https://t.co/FTfhdux9Oj
— Otterbein University (@Otterbein) April 30, 2023
