"The studio stuff just wasn't for me," he says. "I was never as comfortable doing TV as I was with the radio because I didn't think I was all that good. Plus, I was always a little self-conscious with the camera. In radio you don't have to dress up or have your hair in place, which I think is really nice."

A similar situation arose in 2002 when the Huskies moved to KJR radio. Rondeau's contract with KOMO was up at the same time, but it wasn't clear whether he would follow the team or not. Luckily, it didn't take long for the two parties to reach an agreement.

"I think they would have had a community mutiny had they not brought him back," says Nelson, who went with Rondeau to KJR. "If you look around the country, and not just from a longevity standpoint but a quality standpoint as well, he's as good as it gets."

"Bob's as much a part of the Husky tradition as anyone else," says Lambright. "You can listen to his broadcasts and actually see the game. He just has a marvelous voice and paints such a good picture. "

Today, at age 53, Rondeau has found harmony mixing radio with family and fun. If he's not working on something Husky-related in his Westlake office, he's either at home with his wife and three children, out on the golf course or off on some wild fly fishing adventure with friends. "I just went to Argentina to fish for sea-run brown trout," he says. "It was an amazing trip and we did very well. We also spend a week in Sitka, Alaska, each year and make an annual trip to the Skagit River for steelhead as well."

Whatever Rondeau decides to do with his time, you can be sure he's enjoying every second of it. After all, not everyone gets to watch the Huskies for a living. "I can't even contemplate leaving the UW," he says. "And as long as they'll have me here, I'm happy to have them."

—Derek Belt is a senior in the Dept. of Communication and a sportswriter for The Daily. He was the Columns intern when he wrote this article.

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