By Alison Momeyer
Spectrum News 1
Originally published December 5, 2023
It’s a job that requires consistency and fairness, not to mention a resonant voice and calm under pressure. After more than 35 years in the booth, Jeff King has earned the nickname the “Voice of the Wyoming Cowboys.”
Jeff King has been the Wyoming High School sports announcer since 1987, estimating that he’s announced more than 2,000 games.
“The main thing is, you’re not a cheerleader, you’re not to get the crowd excited,” he said. “You are to announce the game, announce the action. That’s it. I don’t ever want an away team fan, players, coaches, ever to feel they got ‘homered’ that’s something that’s very important to me.”
From the stands he may sound like a one-man operation, but King credits his spotter, Tom Brown, for helping him call the plays, saying he couldn’t function without him.
Friday nights may have put King on the map, but it’s basketball season that is the busiest.
King works from November to March announcing games. King said his wife accepts he will be out most evenings and weekends.
“My wife used to say, once basketball season started, ‘Well, I guess I’ll see you in March,’” King said.
King comes by his voice naturally. His father, Nelson King, was a well-known radio personality on WCKY, credited with helping to fuel the popularity of country music following World War II.
For more than two decades, the elder King was voted the #1 disc jockey in the United States by Billboard Magazine, eight years in a row.
As a young adult, home from his service in the Air Force, King recalls his father would occasionally let him go on air to announce sports or read the news.
“Some people have asked me, when you are going to stop doing this?” he said. “I have absolutely no idea…I have the best seat in the house.”