LSU’s Voice of the Tigers made a special call on Saturday. Jim Hawthorne, the school’s veteran radio play-by-play announcer, sang the national anthem prior to the Tigers’ game with Missouri.
This weekend’s series will be the final one for Hawthorne, who is retiring next year. The series ends with a Sunday game at 2 p.m.
Hawthorne held out a long note on the final word of the phrase “land of the free” and closed the song to a rousing ovation. He got hugs from LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri, athletic director Joe Alleva and former LSU football player Kevin Faulk, who was there to throw out the first pitch.
Hawthorne, 71, is appearing at his final home series at Alex Box Stadium as he rolls toward his coming retirement. This will be the final baseball season for the veteran who has called football, baseball and basketball for 31 seasons. He will retire fully after doing the 2015 football season and the 2015-16 basketball slate.
Besides his announcing skill, Hawthorne is also an accomplished singer who was master of ceremonies and a singer on the “Louisiana Hayride” country and western music show on KWKH in Shreveport. He occasionally performs at local venues.
He has called 23 bowl games and some of the biggest games in Tiger Stadium history, including the 1988 Earthquake Game victory against Auburn, LSU’s 28-21 upset of No. 1 Florida in 1997, the Tigers 9-6 overtime win against Alabama in 2011 and two national championship seasons, 2003 and 2007.
He has also been on the call for all six LSU baseball national championships and three Final Four appearances. He has broadcast LSU basketball games since the 1980-81 season when LSU went to the Final Four in Philadelphia.