Bob Harris, the longtime radio voice of the Duke Blue Devils, has passed away this Wednesday. This sad news has been confirmed by one of his former broadcast partners.
Wes Chesson, who worked with Harris for Duke football broadcasts, provided a statement on this heartbreaking news. It was attached to the GoFundMe page that was created for Harris’ hospice care.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I report that Bob Harris passed away this morning with Bob’s wife Phyllis at his side, holding his hand,” Chesson wrote. “Bob’s life on this earth has ended, but as he announced at the end of an assured Duke victory, today Bob is proclaiming ‘How Sweet It Is.'”
Harris called 471 straight Duke football games from 1976-2017. He also called nearly 1,400 Duke basketball games.
Just to put Harris’ greatness into perspective, he was inducted into the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame well before he retired. Additionally, he was enshrined in the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame.
When Harris finally retired, he walked away from the broadcast booth as the longest tenured play-by-play announcer in the history of the ACC.
A few years ago, Harris was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He’s survived by his wife, daughter and two grandchildren.
Our thoughts are with Harris’ loved ones.