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Cawood Ledford « Thread Started on Aug 1, 2007, 11:57pm »
Cawood Ledford "The Voice of the Wildcats" Memories
Cawood Ledford "Voice of theWildcats" From 1953-1992
Today -- with ESPN, the deuce, Classic, CBS, Fox, ABC and special packages to purchase – it’s pretty simple to make sure we can catch our beloved Wildcats on the gridiron and hardwood.
For many of us, we didn’t grow up with all of that. For years autumn afternoons meant that we had ABC -- and one game, maybe two. In the winter, we had one college basketball game on Saturday and one on Sunday. If you were fortunate enough to live in “God’s country” or in the SEC TV market, you were able to see the biggest basketball draw in the SEC play on TV more often than not, and be covered by John Ferguson and Joe “String Music” Dean. If UK wasn’t on that Saturday, you could tune into either UK’s network for a delayed telecast in some cases.
If you weren’t one of those lucky ones and didn’t live in the Commonwealth anymore -- more than likely you were driving in your car at night, up on a mountain in the Carolinas, or an old country road or an interstate somewhere in order to hear Cawood Ledford call the game.
Decades before we got tired of pACCker, Vitale, or Musburger’s banter, or it became vogue to do so across the country to turn down the TV to hear Tom Leach or one’s home team announcer -- Kentuckians were doing that in order to hear “the truth” about what was happening in the game as only Cawood Ledford could describe it.
When I lived in Chapel Hill during the early 80s, my Tar Heel friends (there were no dUKe fans to speak of – and I can attest to that since I used to walk right in Cameron and sit behind dUKe’s bench after getting a ticket at game time – something that has NEVER happened at UK!) had never heard of anyone getting in their car on an overcast night in the winter to find a place where they could tune in a radio station (“ YOU MEAN YOU CAN TUNE IN A KENTUCKY BASKETBALL GAME ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE?!?!? HOW CAN YOU DO THAT?!”) to hear their alma mater’s basketball game.
Unless you’ve grown up in Lexington or any place in Kentucky and listened to Cawood Ledford call a UK game over the radio – you won’t understand how important it used to be to find a way to be “taken back home” by finding Cawood’s voice on the radio dial each winter until he retired in 1992.Although not a great friend of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball program with his pen through the years – Sports Illustrated’s Alexander Wolff had this to say about Cawood during the 1992 NCAA tournament; "Somewhere over the Rockies, I dial Teamline from an Airfone at my Planeseat and listen to Kentucky take an eight point halftime lead over Iowa State. You haven't lived, friends, until you've heard the heavenly voice of Wildcat radio announcer Cawood Ledford at 39,000 feet."
That’s an outsider’s opinion of “College Basketball’s Announcer of the Century” and he didn’t even get to hear him describe a game from Alligator Alley or Stokely.
ONLY Cawood could get on our ‘Cats and get away with it. God help pACCker or Vitale if they are to ever say a bad thing about the play of UK’s Wildcats. Harsh comments were only allowed by Cawood! Nobody else!
I had the pleasure of meeting Cawood on the floor of the Coliseum when I was an undergrad at UK. He pulled a Jaguar up in front and got out. He was wearing a three-piece suit. We spoke and I told him among other things that I believed he was the "greatest" and that it was an honor to meet him.
I don't remember exactly what the occasion was, but I was star-struck. I mean...here is the Voice of the Wildcats talking to me like we're fast friends or something. Nothing else was on his mind...and I know he had some business to conduct or a meeting to attend, but he was a complete gentleman. I've lived in Michigan for 12 years now, and I am often called a "gentlemen" by people I encounter in business, at the mall (holding doors open) and at church. Having said that -- I'm NOTHING like Cawood was to an ole college boy.
In high school, I was voted several things as a senior but what I always get a chuckle out of is that I was voted "Most Likely to Replace Cawood Ledford." I did some radio work and public address announcing. In fact, I was the "minor sports PA announcer" for UK sports during much of my last two years in Lexington. Of course I would have never been able to stay and work for Cawood's job -- but that was what I thought I wanted after realizing that a career on the field was out of the question at the time.
The real thing is that my true appreciation for his work came when I moved to Chapel Hill and ultimately all over the southeast. Hearing his voice come through WHAS or WSAI (?) brought me home and gave me comfort and chills that one can’t describe unless you’ve “been there.
”He was the greatest of all-time. As a matter of fact … Gannet News Services (USA Today's parent organization) voted Cawood Ledford "The Greatest College Basketball Announcer of All-Time" after he retired.
As we prepare for another eight months of UK’s revenue generating sports to begin – I just thought I’d share a bit of “what it used to be like to spend some time finding Cawood on the radio dial” in order to keep up with the flagship program of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
I think it would be great to have others share stories of Cawood Ledford and to what lengths they took to find his voice on a “crackly” radio during winter nights to hear OUR ‘Wildcats!
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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Re: Cawood Ledford "The Voice of the Wildcats" Mem « Reply #1 on Aug 2, 2007, 12:23am »
"Hello everybody! This is Cawood Ledford from Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington..." The game was on the air
"Write it down" A shot was made. As in, "Farmer for three."
"Got it!" As in, "Hord from 15 feet...Got it!"
"Three if it goes" A three-pointer was in in the air.
"It took a trip, but it stayed." When a shot danced around the rim before falling.
"He went to war" Described a particularly impressive "effort play" by a (unually Kentucky) player. As in, Winston really went to war on the boards that time, Ralph."
"He hasn't got it tonight." When a player had a tough night. As in, "John Pelphrey is a fine basketball player but he just hasn't got it tonight."
"Jiminy Christmas! If he stays 10 years, he'll never get a better shot than that!" When a Kentucky player missed a gimme.
"They've got to get him out of there." When a player's repeated mistakes started to hurt Kentucky. As in, "Dale just doesn't have it. They've got to get him out of there"
"He missed that one" Directed at officials. As in, "Don Rutledge is a fine official, but he sure missed that one."
"He had a notion" When a player appeared to think about shooting but didn't."
"The Cats are running" Cawood's signature call in the Rupp era.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Re: Cawood Ledford "The Voice of the Wildcats" Mem « Reply #2 on Aug 2, 2007, 12:27am »
VOICE OF THE WILDCATS
I knew him from childhood by the light of the moon As the voice of the Wildcats invaded my room. The magic he'd bring to a boy dressed in blue Was a dream in his heart that he could play too.
When I was away on some distant shore In a far off country, during the Vietnam War. I would listen to Cawood from a tape sent from home And for a sweet moment, I was not alone.
And I'll never forget the last game he called Was a heartbreaking moment, our progress had stalled. A blanket of sadness crept over this fan As I'd listen no more to this wonderful man.
The visions he conjured, are still in my mind And I miss him today, as I write this line. I remember his opener- word for word Hello Everybody, This Is Cawood Ledford.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Bigdaddy Administrator Wildcats Thunder Co-Founder member is offline
"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
Joined: May 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 30,752 Karma: 215
Re: Cawood Ledford "The Voice of the Wildcats" Mem « Reply #3 on Aug 2, 2007, 12:35am »
Legendary UK broadcaster Cawood Ledford lost his battle with cancer on Wednesday at the age of 75.
LEXINGTON, Ky. --- Cawood.
For 39 years, the name was as synonymous to University of Kentucky sports as anyone who ever played or coached for the Wildcats.
The Commonwealth both grieved and looked back with fond memories Wednesday after learning that Cawood Ledford, the beloved "Voice of the Wildcats" from 1953-92, died at Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital after a long battle with cancer. He was 75.
“Cawood was the ultimate in genteel class," said Jim Host, CEO of Lexington-based Host Communications and a longtime friend of Ledford. "He exuded a quiet confidence, but always remembered who he was, where he came from and who he worked for.
"He will be remembered as the best college basketball broadcaster in the history of the game. Once he began to call the games for the NCAA Radio Network in 1976, he earned a national reputation and in turn, had many opportunities to leave. I sat in on many of those discussions, but he chose to stay here instead because it was here in Kentucky that he was most comfortable.”
Known as the consummate professional, Ledford’s career spanned five decades, earning the distinction of the most honored and most celebrated sportscaster in Kentucky history. Fans always will remember his trademark phrases, such as “the Wildcats will be moving left to right on your radio dial” and “the Cats have gone to war,” or simply his familiar sign-on, “Hello everybody, this is Cawood Ledford.”
"I've always felt that in broadcasting your total allegiance is to the person twisting the dial and giving you the courtesy of listening to you," Ledford told The Associated Press in 1991. "Sports are the greatest drama in the world because no one knows what's going to happen. And it's your job to paint a word picture for the thousands who would love to be there but can't."
Ledford was voted the state's Sportscaster of the Year 22 times, and was enshrined in the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987 and the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. His jersey hangs in the rafters of Lexington's Rupp Arena today, the only non-player or coach to receive that distinction.
He was also one of the most renowned thoroughbred racing journalists in the nation. He called the Kentucky Derby for 22 years, won the industry's prestigious Eclipse Award on three occasions, and twice was honored with the Englehard Award for excellence in horse racing coverage.
But it was his calls of UK sports that endeared him to fans across the world.
“Without question, he was a great ambassador for not only UK sports, but the University of Kentucky. His reach was far beyond the bounds of UK and the state’s borders," said Ralph Hacker, who served as Ledford's color analyst for more than two decades and had the dubious challenge of replacing the legend after his final call in March of 1992.
Fittingly, his finale was arguably the greatest game in college basketball history, the classic Duke-Kentucky East Region Final in Philadelphia. After one of the most popular teams in UK history lost the heartbreaking 103-102 overtime thriller, Ledford signed off to countless fans with words he borrowed from legendary UK coach Adolph Rupp upon his own retirement: "For those of you who have gone down the glory road with me, my eternal thanks. This is Cawood Ledford saying goodbye, God bless, and goodnight everybody."
Some of the coaches and administrators who had the pleasure to work with Ledford also expressed their feelings Wednesday upon news of his death.
“Cawood meant as much to fans of Kentucky football and basketball as anyone ever has," UK basketball coach Tubby Smith said. "I struggle to come up with the proper words to describe how good he was other than just saying that he was ‘the best.’ Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this difficult time.”
"First of all, Cawood is one of the finest men I've ever known," said former UK football coach Bill Curry. "In his own dignified way, he found ways to educate me in areas that I needed it. There are some people who have the ability to help others without being pushy or offensive, and Cawood had that kind of tact.
"Carolyn and I deeply appreciate the support that Cawood and Frances continued to give us throughout our time here. No matter what happened, they continued to be consistent friends. We found ourselves saying, 'We hope we can be the kind of friends that Cawood and Frances have been to us.'"
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of a great friend in Cawood Ledford," said former UK basketball coach Rick Pitino. "He was a special man whose class, dignity and friendship I will always cherish. Our sincere sympathy goes out to his wife Frances. We love you Cawood.”
"Cawood was a dear friend for 33 years," said Kentucky Athletics Director Larry Ivy. "He was a valuable member of our athletics family and was the link between our football and basketball programs and our fans for 39 years -- not only in the state of Kentucky, but nationwide.He was the epitome of recognizable class, a true gentleman. Our deepest sympathy goes out to his wife, Frances, and his family, on the loss of a true Kentucky legend."
A graduate of Centre College, Ledford began his broadcasting career at WHLN Radio in Harlan in 1951. He began calling UK football and basketball games for WLEX Radio in 1953, competing with other radio networks for listeners while sharpening his skills working solo. In 1956, he moved to Louisville and began a 22-year career with WHAS Radio while still calling the games for the Wildcats. In 1967, after as many as five different networks were carrying the broadcasts, exclusive rights were granted to UK football and basketball and Ledford was named the Wildcats’ play-by-play announcer.
He worked for a number of coaches at Kentucky. His first season calling football was Bear Bryant’s last season as the Wildcats’ coach. In addition, he called games for Blanton Collier, Charlie Bradshaw, Fran Curci, John Ray, Jerry Claiborne and Curry. In basketball, he worked for the legendary Adolph Rupp until his retirement in 1972. He also called games for Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton and Pitino, retiring following the 1992 season along with the outgoing senior class of “Unforgettables” Richie Farmer, Sean Woods, Deron Feldhaus and John Pelphrey the team that lost to Duke in overtime in the East Region finals.
Ledford was named the top college basketball announcer in the nation on four occasions and broadcast the NCAA Final Four on a national radio network for 18 years, the most of any announcer in history. He received the ultimate honor, induction in the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. He was the first person, other than a former player or coach, to have his jersey retired in Rupp Arena. He also owns the distinction of being the first person to be inducted into both the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to his work with UK Athletics, Ledford covered minor league baseball, the World Series, the state basketball tournament, The Masters and the heavyweight boxing championship, including extensive coverage of former champion Muhammad Ali.
Other highlights of his illustrious career include:
n In 1992, he was named the Kentucky Sportsman of the Year by the Lexington Herald-Leader. n In 1993, he was awarded the Spirit of Excellence from Rotary International and he was named a Distinguished Rural Kentuckian by Kentucky’s Rural Electric Cooperatives. n In 1994, he became only the fifth announcer to be inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., and received the Kentuckian Award from the A.B. “Happy” Chandler Foundation. n In 1998, he was one of five recipients of the OAK, an outstanding alumnus of a Kentucky university or college, presented by the Kentucky Advocates of Higher Education. n In 1999, he was chosen as one of the 50 most significant Kentucky sports figures of the 20th century by the Lexington Herald-Leader and the only member of the media to make the list. n In 2001, was given the Lindsey Nelson Award, which is presented annually by the Knoxville Quarterback Club to an outstanding collegiate broadcaster who has promoted or advanced the game of college football. n He was chosen by the Gannett News Service as the best college basketball sportscaster in history.
Ledford was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Kentucky, Centre College and Cumberland College. He has been officially recognized by both the Kentucky and Tennessee Legislatures and in the Congressional Record of the U.S. Senate.
After leaving WHAS Radio in 1978, he founded Cawood Ledford Productions in Lexington. The company published “Cawood on the Cats,” a weekly newspaper covering UK sports, and produced numerous radio and television shows. In addition to his broadcasting career, he authored eight books.
Ledford is survived by his wife Frances, his brother Jim and sister Eloise. Service arrangements are pending as well as arrangements for a memorial service in Lexington.
The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to either the Cawood Ledford Scholarship Fund at the University of Kentucky or the Cawood Ledford Endowed Scholarship at Cumberland College. The UK fund was established to assist former student-athletes in completing their degree requirements. Checks can be made payable to the Cawood Ledford Scholarship Fund and mailed to UKAA, c/o Kathy DeBoer, Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, KY 40506-0019. The Cumberland College fund was set up to assist Kentucky students. Donations can be made to Cumberland College, Office of the President, 6191 College Station Drive, Williamsburg, KY 40769.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Bigdaddy Administrator Wildcats Thunder Co-Founder member is offline
"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Re: Cawood Ledford « Reply #4 on Aug 2, 2007, 9:36pm »
Cawood Quote:
"They're coming to the wire, and its all Kentucky! I can almost smell the roses at Churchill Downs!" Cawood Ledford-as UK defeats Alabama in the '92 SEC tourney
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Bigdaddy Administrator Wildcats Thunder Co-Founder member is offline
"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Re: Cawood Ledford « Reply #5 on Aug 9, 2007, 6:06pm »
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Bigdaddy Administrator Wildcats Thunder Co-Founder member is offline
"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
Joined: May 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 30,752 Karma: 215
Re: Cawood Ledford « Reply #6 on Aug 10, 2007, 1:46pm »
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Bigdaddy Administrator Wildcats Thunder Co-Founder member is offline
"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
Joined: May 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 30,752 Karma: 215
Re: Cawood Ledford « Reply #7 on Aug 21, 2007, 7:35pm »
Cawood Ledford 1926-2001
He called 18 Final Fours, more than anyone else, and 22 Kentucky Derbys. And there was the World Series, The Masters, professional basketball, Little League and boxing, including extensive coverage of Muhammad Ali. But, always and above all, Cawood Ledford was for four decades the "Voice of the University of Kentucky Wildcats." The voice fell silent yesterday. The man known as Cawood to legions of fans died of cancer at Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital. He was 75. His death brought an outpouring of memories from sports figures and politicians, and from fans who called radio talk shows to remember the man so many had grown up listening to. Mr. Ledford retired as the play-by-play man for UK in 1992. Most of his career was spent covering the Wildcats. The first UK event he called was the Sept. 19, 1953, football game that pitted Bear Bryant's Cats against Texas A&M. The last was on March 28, 1992 -the NCAA Tournament East Regional final against Duke, considered by many to be the greatest college basketball game ever played. Just before he retired, the Kentucky House of Representatives approved a resolution honoring Mr. Ledford as "the standard by which all other sportscasters are measured." Later, the fiscal court in his native Harlan County named a part of US 421 "Cawood Ledford Trail." He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also the first person to get in both the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. Ledford's ability at calling basketball games is perhaps what he will be remembered for most. To many of his peers, he was one of basketball's finest play- by-play announcers. Experts picked him as the sport's top announcer several times. He broadcast basketball finals for CBS and NBC radio networks for several years. To many Kentuckians, he was not just the voice, but the soul of UK basketball. For years, when UK games were televised, many fans thought the best way to experience a game was to turn on the TV, turn down the sound and listen to Mr. Ledford's play-by-play. He tried to put fans at courtside.
Oscar Cawood Ledford was born April 24, 1926, at Cawood, a small community 10 miles south of Harlan that is named, as he was, for his mother's family. The family homeplace is called Booger Hollow. His Harlan county property was part of a 2,000-acre grant that an ancestor, Berry Cawood, received in lieu of pay for service in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Ledford's parents were teachers. His father and another man owned small truck mines. Mr. Ledford graduated from Hall High School, served in the Marine Corps during World War II, and graduated from Centre College in 1949, with a major in business and minors in history and Spanish. Mr. Ledford got his start in broadcasting at WHLN in Harlan in 1951. He did sports broadcasts and sold ads for the station. For two summers he broadcast the games of the old Harlan Smokies, a Class D baseball team in the Mountain States League. He also broadcast high school games. He came to Lexington in 1953 to work for WLEX in radio and television. Mr. Ledford broadcast UK games on radio, starting out as the color man on UK football broadcasts, then moving to play-by-play. He did all the regular basketball games and the University of Kentucky Invitational Tournament, which debuted that year. While in Lexington, he also announced Golden Gloves matches and Keeneland races. In 1956, he moved to WHAS in Louisville to work as a radio and television sports reporter. In 1961, he made his first call of the Kentucky Derby for WHAS (Carry Back won). He was considered a first-rate horse race announcer, with three prestigious Eclipse Awards to prove it. Churchill Downs CEO and president Tom Meeker said yesterday that Mr. Ledford came to represent, as much as anyone, what the Derby is.
Mr. Ledford met his wife, Frances Johnson, who was from the Harlan County town of Lynch, at WHAS in the 1950s. She worked in the business office. They didn't marry until 1974. It was the first marriage for both. Mr. Ledford became a celebrity throughout the state after UK sold its radio broadcast rights to the G.H. Johnson Co. in 1968. The company made Mr. Ledford the play- by-play announcer for both football and basketball. He used that fame to build a lucrative career for himself. He left WHAS in 1979 to form his own company in Lexington, Cawood Ledford Productions. He continued doing play-by-play of UK athletic events. Over the years, Cawood Ledford Productions produced daily radio commentaries for stations across the state, daily television commentaries, television specials for several stations, a radio call-in show, a weekly tabloid publication devoted to UK sports, and commercials. Mr. Ledford received many awards and several honorary degrees in his long career. In the early 1990s, he became the first person who wasn't a player or coach to have a jersey retired in his honor in Rupp Arena. He was named "Sportscaster of the Year" 21 times between 1967 and 1990. Mr. Ledford produced several books. UK's trip to the Peach Bowl in 1993 was the football game he remembered the most, he said.
He said football was more difficult to broadcast than basketball. "There's a lot more preparation (in football)," he said. "And there are a lot more people involved. Basketball is a continuous motion thing. In football, you've got 22 guys doing nothing! And, then in the same split second, all 22 guys move! It all happens at once and then it absolutely stops. So, you need some help in football." Basketball was completely different. "Basketball was made in heaven for radio. It's just a good pace and you're close. You can see the faces." Mr. Ledford considered UK basketball coach Adolph Rupp an important person in his life. "Many of the things I believe today are things I learned from him," he said. Some people complained that Mr. Ledford rooted too much for the home team. "I make no bones about it - I'm for Kentucky," he said. "If you follow one team you can't help but be for them. But I'm not afraid to criticize them. If they're playing poorly, I'm certainly not afraid to say so." Mr. Ledford said Rupp once told him, "By God, Cawood, when you see one of our teams dogging it, by God, burn 'em." Mr. Ledford's high visibility in sports led to leadership roles in other areas. He was named the 1980 crusade chairman for the state's division of the American Cancer Society. He was the grand marshal at parades and a speaker at various events. He also served on the board of the UK Basketball Museum in Lexington and on the Kentucky Horse Park Commission.
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
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"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
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Cawood Ledford was born on April 24, 1926. The long time radio voice of the Kentucky Wildcats, spent 39 years calling UK basketball and football games on radio.
Ledford called Kentucky football and basketball for nearly four decades. He worked 17 NCAA Final Fours, including Kentucky's national championship seasons in 1958 and 1978.
He was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987 and is one of only a handful of non-players to have a jersey hanging from the rafters at Rupp Arena.
"He was so good at what he did as far as just bringing the games to life for his listeners," said Tom Leach, who is now the voice of the UK sports on the radio. "He was as much a part of Kentucky basketball and its storied history than any of the coaches or players."
The son of a coal miner, Ledford grew up in Harlan and served in the Marines during World War II. He earned a degree from Centre College in Danville and taught high school English.
He began calling Kentucky football and basketball games in 1953. He retired after the 1991-92 basketball season.
"Cawood meant as much to fans of Kentucky football and basketball as anyone ever has," said Wildcats basketball coach Tubby Smith.
In 1979, Ledford traveled to Hazard to appear on "Talkback," WSGS's long running radio call-in talk show. He returned as a guest in 1986. He was the featured speaker at Hazard Civic Night in 1981. He made his last trip to Hazard in 1999 when President Clinton came to town. Ledford served as one of the speakers, and introduced the President to the crowd. "I was thinking that if Cawood had been a political announcer instead of a basketball announcer, and I could have kept him with me these last 25 years, I'd have never lost an election," Clinton said.
Cawood Ledford died on September 5, 2001.
Growing up in Eastern Kentucky
Cawood Ledford was born April 24, 1926, at Cawood, a small community 10 miles south of Harlan that is named, as he was, for his mother's family. The family homeplace is called Booger Hollow. His Harlan county property was part of a 2,000-acre grant that an ancestor, Berry Cawood, received in lieu of pay for service in the Revolutionary War. His parents were teachers. His father and another man owned small truck mines. Ledford graduated from Hall High School, served in the Marine Corps during World War II, and graduated from Centre College in 1949, with a major in business and minors in history and Spanish. His first job was working in the office of a bakery in Harlan. After college he taught high school English in Harlan for several months. Cawood got his start in broadcasting at WHLN in Harlan in 1951. He did sports broadcasts and sold ads for the station. For two summers he broadcast the games of the old Harlan Smokies, a Class D baseball team in the Mountain States League. He also broadcast high school games. Ledford maintained ties with Eastern Kentucky throughout his life. He and a boyhood friend owned department and clothing stores in Barbourville, London and Middlesboro. He returned to his boyhood home in Harlan County in 1993 after remodeling the house where he grew up. He said he rejected at least one serious effort to get him to run for a local political office.
In Eastern Kentucky, where Ledford was born and reared, there was a special relationship with a man who had left the mountains and shown the world that people from Appalachia could succeed. ''I was just proud of Cawood,'' said Herbie Deskins, a Pikeville lawyer and former state representative. ''People could listen to him and know that someone from Eastern Kentucky could go out and know more about something than anyone else and do a better job than anyone else. We'd sit around the fire, pop popcorn and listen to Cawood,'' Deskins said. ''That voice, it was just sort of a calming voice. It demanded your attention and yet was calming. He would explain things and discuss it in a way that we could understand. He could paint a picture with words. It was just a pleasure to listen to him and his comments.'' David Allen grew up in Prestonsburg listening to Ledford's call, which often was piped through the house on an intercom system. Now a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Texas Tech, he said Ledford is irreplaceable.
President Clinton is introduced by Cawood Ledford in Hazard on July 5, 1999. Courtesy of Gordon's Photo Center
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Bigdaddy Administrator Wildcats Thunder Co-Founder member is offline
"If you want too win...Don't play KENTUCKY"
Joined: May 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 30,752 Karma: 215
"From Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington, this is Cawood Ledford saying thanks to each of you from the bottom of my heart for letting me share these great 39 years. Till we meet again, good bye."
“I think right now everybody’s on notice,” Telep said. This is old school Kentucky right now, and the rest of the country has been served notice."-Dave Telep
Wildcats Thunder is not affiliated with the University of Kentucky, the Kentucky Wildcat Athletic Department, the NCAA or any other sports programs. The views, takes, and opinions are those of the author, and not of this site. The contents of this website have not been reviewed or approved by Wildcats Thunder.
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