Don Hall, former WSU P.A. announcer, honored before Wichita State basketball game
Wichita State honored longtime public address announcer Don Hall, who was tragically killed in a car accident in April 2020, before the Shockers’ men’s basketball game against North Texas on Saturday.
WSU athletic director Darron Boatright presented a special microphone to Linda “Fluffy” Hall to commemorate the career of Don, who served as the P.A. announcer for WSU home games from 1983 to 2020.
His famous catchphrase — “On your feet in Charles Koch Arena” — was even played before the start of Saturday’s game, as the WSU crowd showered Fluffy with applause to show their appreciation for the missing Wichita radio icon.
“I honestly wish he could be here to have this honor because Wichita State was his love,” Fluffy told The Eagle. “It’s amazing to see how much everybody loved him. But not as much as I did.”
It was an emotional day for Fluffy, who was given her nickname affectionately by Don on their first date together because of her hairstyle.
“He gave me that name before we were even married and it just stuck,” Fluffy said. “More people know me as Fluffy in this town than they do Linda.”
It was just another example of how clever Hall could be, a trait that Wichita State fans loved about him over the years.
Replacing Hall as the P.A. announcer was a daunting task for Ted Woodward, another local Wichita radio personality who worked with Hall for decades at Entercom Communications. But it’s a task he takes a great deal of pride in to make sure he properly honors his predecessor.
“Don was a guy who has been on air forever in this town and everybody knew that voice,” Woodward said. “He had become so ingrained, I kept asking people who did public address at WSU games before Don and nobody knew the answer because he had been the guy for decades. So to lose someone that ingrained in our community so quickly and so suddenly, it was such a shock for us all.”
Hall not only had the infectious voice with plenty of catchphrases, but he also was dedicated to his craft and only missed two games in 36 seasons.
“He loved every minute of it,” Fluffy Hall said. “He would leave the house two, three hours before the game started because he had to make sure he had everybody’s names down. Don did not make mistakes when it came to the Shockers.”
WSU had been planning to honor Hall last year, but decided to wait until it could have a full-capacity Koch Arena to properly recognize him.
“There’s no doubt that people still remember Don fondly and they’re going to remember him here for a very long time,” Woodward said. “He just always had a knack for saying the right thing and knowing what to say and what to do. I’m glad Wichita State found a way to honor him and keep that legacy going.”
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