Gary Bender did play by play for Final Fours, the NFL, NBA, the Olympics, Major League Baseball and more. Bender, a 1962 University of Wichita graduate, got his start at KMUW broadcasting Shocker basketball as the team rose in the national rankings. We talk about his days on the farm in Western Kansas creating the anthem, commercials and action to pass the time on a tractor. We discuss how he maintained silence during one of the most exciting finishes in NCAA Tournament history and how advice from Bill Parcells pushed him on his way to CBS. Bender is a member of the 2024 Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame induction class. That ceremony is free to the public at 2 p.m. Feb. 6 in Wiedemann Hall.
