A milestone season for the voice of Elk Grove football

Some names have been tougher than others for Ken Grams as he prepares to start his 50th season as the only public address announcer for Elk Grove football.

But it's no surprise that pronunciations are not a minor detail to someone who has won 856 games and counting as the school's head softball coach and won 58 percent of his games as the boys basketball head coach from 1976-84.

"I think it's very important before every game to go to somebody on the other team and find out how to say everybody's name," said Grams, who believes his total of games announced is around 230. "Everyone is entitled to have their name said properly."

There are always challenges for Grams. One came from a couple of former Grenadiers. Try as he might, getting it right became a 50-50 proposition.

"The mother one time told me I was saying their last name wrong," Grams said as he recalled one of his favorite stories.

He went with what she told him and corrected the problem. Or so he thought.

"Then at halftime, I run into their dad, and he told me now I'm saying it wrong," Grams laughed.

Those two wrongs meant Grams got it right at some point. Invariably Grams is on the mark when it comes to down and distance, receivers and defenders and runners and tacklers.

"Here I am, who would have thought, 50 years later," Grams said as gets ready to call tonight's home opener against Fremd.

The Arlington High School graduate had experience at Northern Illinois University doing play-by-play on home football and basketball games for the campus radio station. He admitted the ratings were not off the charts.

"I probably had an audience of seven or eight," he joked.

Grams then came to the brand new Elk Grove High School to teach. Assistant principal Don Fyfe, who was Grams' former English teacher, was looking for a PA announcer for football.

Grams told Fyfe he was interested and a streak of announcing every Elk Grove home game began.

The style of play has changed a lot in the last half century but Grams' announcing style has not. A big admirer of Dodgers' legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, Grams is not a shouter, screamer or cheerleader from the press box.

"I'm not a rah-rah guy and my philosophy since day one is people aren't there to listen to me," Grams said. "They came to watch kids play, cheerleaders jump around and hear the band play.

"I try to be a resource and an information source for the fans and help them with their game-watching experience. I don't really get crazy about anything. I don't think that's the role of it."

Not that Grams hasn't witnessed many memorable and exciting moments since the first Elk Grove team played a split varsity/junior varsity schedule with no seniors. Just a few years later, the 1972 team led by Jeff Stewart was named mythical state champions in the pre-playoff era under legendary coach Don Schnake.

"He was one of the best people I ever met in my life," Grams said of Schnake. "He established a nice tradition for all of our Friday night stuff."

The 2004 state quarterfinalist in Bruce Bazsali's final year as head coach kept Grams on his toes with its ability to score in a hurry. The successful three-year stint of Brian Doll was also exciting.

Then there were games that challenged Grams, too, such as a playoff with Deerfield where he helped shovel snow off the field. The elements also tested Grams in a game against Forest View.

"(Coach) Fred Lussow had a great team and it rained and rained and rained the whole game," Grams said. "No one could see the numbers, but I knew our kids and it was a 7-0 game, a great game.'

A couple of foggy nights were also difficult. But at least Schnake made it easy on Grams in a six-overtime victory over Hoffman Estates that is still tied for the longest in state history and didn't end until 12:30 in the morning.

"Jack Walsh carried the ball every single time in overtime," Grams laughed about one of the Mid-Suburban League's legendary running backs.

The new twist for Grams tonight is he will be calling the Grenadiers' first game on their new field turf at Robert Haskell Stadium. No more worries about mud-caked uniforms as he will have clear hashmarks, yard lines and sidelines to work with.

"I enjoy the whole scene," Grams said. "It's the best time of the year, a new start, Friday night lights.

"It's wonderful, a celebration of the community and the school. It's just great. I look forward to it every year."

Now at 50 and counting.

marty.maciaszek@gmail.com