The RoundHouse | 11/11/2021 12:05:00 PM

 By Paul Suellentrop
 
Gus Grebe's enthusiasm and personality resonated with Wichita State fans long after he departed as the radio voice of the Shockers in 1974.
 
Grebe, who died Tuesday at 102, called Shocker football and basketball from 1966-74. He remained a fan favorite because of his style on the KFH broadcasts.
 
"He was very colorful, enthusiastic," said Mike Kennedy, current voice of the Shockers. "He loved the Shockers and I think people felt that and understood that about him."
 
Grebe, who lived in Upland, Calif., later in life, was known as "Mr. Excitement" and used "Put it in the ol' deep freeze" to signal when the Shockers wrapped up the victory. (Lytton Appliance Showroom uses that phrase for its play of the game promotion in current basketball broadcasts as a tribute to Grebe.) He sometimes stood on his chair or scorer's table at basketball games to get a better view of the action.
 
The 1973 football media guide describes Grebe as "the table-hopping, bellow-voice, dapper-Dan Gus Grebe." He documented Shocker stars such basketball's Warren Jabali and Jamie Thompson and the move of the football program into Cessna Stadium in 1969. In 1972, he called the football team's 6-5 season, its first winning record following the 1970 plane crash. In 1973-74, Grebe's final season as the basketball voice, Shockers such as Bob Elmore and Cal Bruton were prominent names and formed the nucleus of the 1976 NCAA Tournament team.

Among the highlight games of his tenure would have been Wichita State's 1967 win over No. 10 Bradley, a 93-88 win over No. 19 Iowa and former Shocker coach Ralph MIller in 1968 and a one-point win over No. 10 Cincinnati in 1969.
 
Barry Gaston, former operations manager for KFH, remembers Grebe leaning out of the press box at a football game to describe the action.
 
"He almost fell out," Gaston wrote in an email. "Those around him caught him by his shirt tail. His enthusiasm for WSU sports came right through the radio."
 
Kennedy, a student in high school and at Wichita State during Grebe's time at KFH, got to know him well and continued the friendship. Grebe moved to Kansas City to work on Chiefs broadcasts before he returned to California in 1979.
 
Kennedy remembers Grebe developing good relationship with Shocker athletes and taking the time to know them.
 
"He was one of the nicest people anyone of us could ever meet," Kennedy said. "He cared about people. I think he cared about Wichita State and wanted them to be successful."
 
Grebe replaced KLEO's Jack Lynch as the radio voice of the Shockers in 1966. He worked with color analysts such as Bill Bailey and Ken Softley. When Grebe left for Kansas City, Softley replaced him as the play-by-play voice for KFH in 1974. Kennedy took over the full-time duties for the 1980 football season with KAKZ and replaced Bill Land.
 
Grebe played football, basketball and baseball at Bradley. He worked in Salida, Colo., Bloomington, Ill., and Los Angeles before coming to Wichita, where he worked for KFH radio and KTVH television.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.