The Voice of the Squirrels is now the Voice of the Hokies. Virginia Tech Department of Athletics and IMG, Tech's multimedia rights partner, hired Jon Laaser (pronounced "laser") as the school's new play-by-play broadcaster. The Hokies and IMG conducted a nationwide search to fill the vacancy after Bill Roth unexpectedly left his post last April.
"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Laaser said in a release. "As a broadcaster you dream about the chance to call just one game from places like Lane Stadium and Cassell Coliseum. I'm not sure it's sunk in yet that I'll be announcing every football and men's basketball game from these historic venues. Bill Roth has set the bar incredibly high. He's an impossible act to follow, but I certainly aspire to live up to his lofty standards."
The 35-year-old Minnesota native was previously the television and radio broadcaster for VCU basketball. In addition to four years spent covering VCU, Laser was the lead play-by-play announcer the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
"Jon Laaser is the right man for Virginia Tech," Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said. "IMG presented us with a highly-skilled pool of prospects for this position. We were impressed, but not surprised by the volume of national interest in our play-by-play job. We are confident that Hokie Nation will embrace Jon's passion and enthusiasm for Virginia Tech Athletics."
Laaser's first game will be the 2015 football season opener against defending national champion Ohio State at Lane Stadium.
Virginia Tech also announced a multi-year contract extension for analyst Mike Burnop.
"Mike is a valuable member of our Hokie Nation," Babcock said. "His ties to the community, service to the Hokies coupled with his insights into the game made getting this contract extension a priority. I'm looking forward to the great work he and Jon will do in the booth for many years to come."
"It's been a great ride that I am thrilled to continue," Burnop said. "Jon and I will be the next great team in the booth and I am looking forward to getting started this summer."
Andrew Allegretta, Tech's assistant director of broadcasting, will also provide coverage of the Hokies next season.
"Hokie Nation is like family to me, so I'm excited for the opportunity to help grow our broadcasts across all sports and all platforms to provide the best fans in college athletics with the best possible coverage," Allegretta said.
Comments
Welcome to Hokie Nation Jon!
Check out some of his radio calls at the link below - he's gonna do just fine here.
Not familiar with him, but I think I found his avatar while at
VCURichmond (doh).I think an upgrade is in order:
Classic, I may use it as my avatar here. Thanks Krak_t. Thanks for making my afternoon. I'm still cracking up.
Hows that? Krak_t, if this bothers you, I'll change it back, I was just seeing what it looked like. Its dark and ominous, but very cool!
I stole it from the internet. No feathers off my back. :D
There is a Hokie out there with talent and dark thoughts to have made that up without this thread as a reason for its creation...
ehhh..it's just a trukey...not a Hokie Bird or Fighting Gobbler. This could have been made by someone who doesn't even know anything about VT
I attend my share of Flying Squirrels games and he does a great job. That said, "voice of the squirrels" is not a phrase that instills confidence.
Why not?
The squirrels have a deep and vast knowledge, and their voice MUST be heard.
Not to mention biscuits and squirrel gravy.
There you go.
Yes, yes tell me more.
he's younger than me!? is the voice of my Hokies allowed to be younger than me!? They're supposed to be older, wiser, and recount things from an era before my time!
this is not about Laaser, he sounds like he will be great, this is about time...it needs to slow the F down!
Well, buggzy, how do you think guys like me feel? Bill Roth was always younger than me, but credit where it is due, he seemed more well versed in the older times than I was, such was his consummate talent and work ethic. I like this hire based on nothing more than faith in the powers that now be, and the few snippets of his voice and delivery that I have heard on the available links.
And as for slowing down time, I'm with you there. Can we get a Go Fund Me started on that problem? I think it was Katherine Hepburn who commented on getting old by saying it wasn't that bad but she felt like she ate breakfast every thirty minutes.
Well, as Mark Twain said, "Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at eighty and gradually approach eighteen."
Time is a flat circle
(Takes long drag off of cigarette)
Sheeeeeeiiiiit
And the extra A is pronounced "Kevin".
This is exactly the reference I was going to make. Guess I'll have to concede a leg instead.
Great minds think Hokie.
There's a short video interview with Mike on hokiesports, but I can't embed their dumb video player. Here's the link:
http://www.hokiesports.com/pr/recaps/20150623aaa.html
worth the watch
Pew Pew Pew
Also very glad to see that. Would be really painful to lose both Mike and Bill.
Not real excited here. He has been doing the Squirrels and VCU here in Richmond for a good while. He comes across as very dry. He also tried a Sunday morning radio show that did not last. No not excited at all. Of course anyone replacing Bill is running up hill. The glass is half full though, we still have "How Bout Them Apples"!
Also I don't care for is voice but am sure I will get used to it. But then again, I may be pleasantly surprised!
On a tangential note,
Bill Roth, you're not in Kansas anymore:
P. Diddy arrested on UCLA campus
I thought about Bill when I read that story. I also thought of Bill when UCLA beat Tech in the Rugby tournament a month or so ago. Damnit UCLA.
Bill has seen it all. He transcends such stuff.
lol I'm sorry... I couldn't get past the picture...
Gah I thought thats what I was seeing but I had managed to mostly ignore it. Now I cant stop seeing it and its unnerving...
Kinda looks like Ian Ziering after the barber took a little off the top