The longtime voice of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Dave Nitz passed away at the age of 82 this morning. A master storyteller, Nitz called over 4,500 Tech games over 50 years. LA Tech broadcaster Malcolm Butler said the Loyal Blue lost an icon.
“He truly is a legend at Louisiana Tech,” said Butler. “He’s in our Hall of Fame as he rightly should be, and it’s a sad day for the Tech nation.”
A native of West Virginia, Nitz arrived in Ruston in the spring of 1974 when he called his first Bulldog baseball game, an NCAA Regional matchup at old Arlington Stadium. Butler said Nitz was a professional in every sport, but baseball was his passion.
“Tech fans are very spoiled, very lucky to have a guy like Dave Nitz that brought these ball games into their households,” said Butler.
Nitz called his final Louisiana Tech game last year- a Bulldog baseball home game. He’d relinquished football and men’s basketball duties to Butler years before. Butler said Nitz and his signature call were a tough act to follow.
“I told him. I said, ‘I struggle with it. I’ve listened to you for 46 years say you gotta love it, and for me to be on the air and something great happen, I feel just like it’s natural, but when I say it, it doesn’t feel right because it’s me and not Dave Nitz,'” said Bulter.
Nitz is survived by his wife, Marlene and their three children Jamie, Jeff and Jay. The family is planning a small, private memorial service.
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