The Lindenwood Lions will kickoff the 2022 football season, Saturday night against Houston Baptist. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)

DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer

ST. CHARLES, MO — The Lindenwood University athletics department announced on Wednesday, that it had set a new broadcast team for the 2022 football season. And that team will be led by local broadcast legend and Lindenwood alum, Bob Ramsey, who will serve as LU’s play-by-play announcer.

A 1978 graduate of Lindenwood, Ramsey has been the voice of Saint Louis University basketball for the past 36 years, while also working as a play-by-play announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals, and hosting several sports talk shows for several different local radio stations.

“I couldn’t be happier to welcome Bob back to his alma mater as the voice of the Lions,” Lindenwood athletics director Jason Coomer said, in a statement released by the athletics department. “After our first conversation about the possibility of him coming back to serve his university, it was clear that we had to find a way to get this done. Bob is a true professional and we can’t wait to have him in the booth calling the game for our fans at home to listen to.”

Ramsey won two Emmys while working for KPLR-TV in St. Louis, Mo. The five-time Missouri Broadcaster of the Year has called games for the St. Louis Cardinals, the St. Louis Ambush, and spent four years as the voice of Louisiana Tech men’s basketball. Ramsey has been inducted into the Halls of Fame at Lindenwood University, Saint Louis University, Pattonville High School, and Missouri Amateur Baseball.

Joining Ramsey in the booth will be a familiar voice in Lindenwood Athletics, Zach Zook. Over the past five years, Zook has been the play-by-play voice for many Lindenwood events, including football, basketball, baseball, and softball. Zook was on the call for both football conference championship seasons for the Lions at the NCAA Division II level.

“Having someone as familiar with our program as Zach is will be an asset to the broadcast team,” Coomer said. “His passion for Lion Athletics is evident and we are looking forward to him beginning the Division I journey with us.”

Zook is a 2017 graduate of Missouri, where he began his broadcasting career covering Mizzou athletics, as well as sports teams at Lincoln University and William Woods College.

Lindenwood student Ethan Hannaford will serve as the sideline reporter for Lindenwood football games. Hannaford is currently a senior at Lindenwood, where he is pursuing a degree in mass communications with an emphasis in broadcasting, as well as a minor in journalism. He is also the sports director of Lindenwood’s student radio station, KCLC.

“Lindenwood University has always prided itself in providing hands on experience to our students,” Coomer said. “It is no secret that we have had many alums, especially in the broadcasting space, going on to be highly respected colleagues within their field. Those same individuals had many opportunities as students and we are looking to continue the tradition of access to practical experiences while developing leaders for the future.”

The Lions will begin the 2022 season, Saturday night, when they’ll travel to Texas to take on Houston Baptist. Lindenwood’s first home game will come next week, on Saturday, September 17, when the Lions will host Keiser University. That game at Hunter Stadium will kickoff at 6 p.m. at Hunter Stadium and will be broadcast on ESPN+.