Rich Bircumshaw R.I.P.

Last week, I read online where the radio "Voice" of the Colorado State Rams, Rich Bircumshaw died from a massive stroke at the young age of 54. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bircumshaw when we played the Rams in football in the 2007 regular season finale in Ft. Collins. To say he was a nice guy is not doing justice. He was a very humble man who made it clear to our whole broadcast team that felt he was the luckiest guy in the world. He absolutely loved his role as the play-by-play announcer for CSU football and basketball.

We briefly discussed the world of college football, the great comeback by the Eagles in the 2nd half that day, and what a great part of the world Ft. Collins must be. He could not have been nicer and more down to earth, a rarity in my business to say the least. I learned of his passing Wednesday morning and immediately began to take stock of really how lucky I am to do what I do for a living and how ever time I put on the headset I should enjoy every second of it. The seasons go by faster and faster as each year goes by and that will continue to be the way it works.

Bircumshaw began his tenure as the "Voice of the Rams" in 1999 and just finished his 10th season this past March at the end of basketball. Only ten years in a job that all media reports say he absolutely loved. In every news report late last week, it always says that he enjoyed his work with Colorado State more than anything else. His broadcast partner for eight years, Brian Roth, said that when he put on the headset there was no better place for him to be.

Funny how life's lessons sometimes take a while to sink in. For me, I learned one last week in just a 10 minute conversation with Rich in a pressbox in Colorado almost 2 years ago. He loved his job, his life, and he loved his Rams.

We should all be that lucky............

CSB