Detroit says goodbye to Ken Calvert, a giant in sports and beloved announcer of the Pistons
Remembering Ken Calvert, a giant in Pistons' lore
The former announcer for the Detroit Pistons who had a hand in turning sports into entertainment in the Motor City died at the age of 72 this week.
By Ingrid Kelley and Jack Nissen
Published December 21, 2023 6:27PM
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Ken Calvert knew he made it not when he was in Detroit, announcing one of the Pistons' games with his iconic voice, but in New York, hundreds of miles away from the Palace.
Tom Wilson, the former owner of the team, said Calvert recounted seeing a bathroom full of people saying Joe Dumars in that classic Calvert tone. It was a sign of his legacy and just how far it had traveled.
"Ken came out and he just had fun with it and then he invented this call on Joe Duumars and he had a different one on every player and a guy would score and it could be a ‘Johnson’," said Wilson, using the same inflection that Calvert has perfected.
Calvert was the voice of the Pistons during its bad boys era. He infused his own energy into the team and the stadium, and the fans gave it right back to him.
On Wednesday (December, 20), Calvert died at the age of 72. A longtime staple of the team and the city, he won't soon be forgotten.
"I think it hits everybody because if you ask people, everybody felt like they knew him," said Wilson. "Before he came in it was always basket by number 23 John Smith. You rode on his voice and there was a magic there that helped bring everything alive."
Wilson and Calvert worked closely together, slowly becoming friends.
And according to the former owner, he rebranded sports as a form of entertainment.
"I think he played a big part in that because that was a role that went by the numbers, and you didn’t allow yourself to have the fun," he said.
Detroit radio legend Ken Calvert, who spent over 40 years on-air, died on Wednesday. His long-term friend and fellow radio personality, Jim Johnson, confirmed his death.
But despite all Calvert did for radio and sports, Wilson says Calvert’s greatest legacy is the compassion he showed others.
"The best legacies that you can have and leave behind you is people saying to other people ‘what a great guy he was; and ’how much I miss him' and we’re all going to deal a great emptiness with his absence," he said.
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