Mike Keith reflects on 25 years as the 'Voice of the Tennessee Titans'

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For 25 years, Mike Keith has held the title “Voice of the Tennessee Titans.”

He calls it his “beyond dream job.” The result he says, of “dumb luck.” But after two decades of calling play-by-play in the Music City, “dumb luck” or not, the Knoxville-born broadcaster has solidified his status as a Sunday staple.

“If you had told me I would be broadcasting for an NFL team, we just finished our 500th broadcast and we’d been doing it for this long, it would have never made sense,” said Keith.

Or maybe it does make sense if you consider his early love of sports. Keith remembers the moment he was bitten. On October 5th, 1974, sitting in the stands of Neyland Stadium, the then second grader watched as the University of Tennessee football team beat Tulsa in the final seconds of the game on a punt return.

“At the same time, I started listening to John Ward on the radio, and at that point, I was hooked,” remembers Keith.

His passion for sports and interest in broadcasting proved to be a winning combination. As a student at UT, Keith went from listening to Ward to working for the legendary “Voice of The Vols.”

“He hired me at 19 to host the Big Orange Scoreboard with Randy Smith for the 1987 season. I got paid 25 dollars a game. I was the low man on the totem pole.”

Ward’s advice to the budding broadcaster: get as many “reps” as possible. Keith called Lady Vols Basketball, UT Baseball, and high school football, got airtime on WIVK radio, and some facetime on WBIR’s show “Sunday Sports Talk.” 

“We had a great team of people who worked with us on the show. It was very popular. It became a real go-to for people in the 1990s when Tennessee football was having its best decade in history.”

Keith says his grandmother who lived in Knoxville was his biggest fan.

“Her most exciting thing was seeing me on Channel 10 and reading about me in the Halls Shopper. She thought that was the biggest deal in the world,” said Keith.

But something bigger for Keith was about to happen in 1997. The Houston Oilers made the move to the Volunteer State and the team needed someone who could be the face and voice of the franchise. He said the Titans' leadership ended up hiring him because he had experience selling advertising and marketing. He adds, that not once had they heard the broadcaster call a game.

“As a matter of fact, when I signed my contract in May 1998, someone called me and said, ‘Oh, by the way, we realized we never really listened to you call a game. So, could you get us a tape?’” he said with a laugh. “They are still waiting for that tape.”

If Keith were to hand over a tape today, it would undoubtedly include the “miracle” that took place on January 8th, 2000. The Titans were playing the Buffalo Bills at home in Nashville in the AFC wildcard playoff. Down by one point with just 16 seconds on the clock, Titans tight end, Frank Wycheck threw to Kevin Dyson for a 75-yard touchdown. The Titans won 22-16.

“It wasn’t just excitement, there were a lot of tears,” said Keith. “To this day I get stopped every week – everybody wants to tell me their ‘Music City Miracle’ story.”

It’s one of many highlights in a career Keith punctuates with his signature style. He’s known for bellowing “TOUCHDOWN TITANS” when a player scores.

“'Touchdown Titans' is because John Ward said, ‘Touchdown Tennessee.' I knew if I said ‘Touchdown Tennessee’ on Titans radio they would have never found my body!”

Keith said his tenure with the Titans has afforded him a balance of his two loves: family and football, and for “that” he is forever grateful.

When asked what’s next, Keith quickly replied: “I hope 25 more years of broadcasting. I don’t ever plan to stop. If you love something so much, why would you ever plan to quit?”