Eastern Michigan Athletics
Legendary EMU Broadcaster John Fountain Passes Away
11/17/2023 1:21:00 PM | Baseball, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Football, General
Fountain spent 44 years broadcasting football, basketball, and baseball at WEMU
More Information | Eastern Insider Podcast Inteview from 2020 | WEMU Halftime Tribute
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – John C. Fountain, who served as the radio "Voice of EMU Athletics" for 44 years, passed away Nov. 15 at the age of 91. An Eastern Michigan University athletic legend, Fountain never made a basket or saw any on-court action, but painted the radio picture of the game from press row.
Fountain first began his 44-year love affair with EMU Athletics and WEMU (89.1 FM) in 1963 when he broadcast his first football game for the then-Hurons. He was EMU's man on the microphone for football games from 1963 until 2001. Giving up the football broadcasts was a tough decision for Fountain, but he retained the men's and women's basketball play-by-play duties through the 2006-07 basketball campaign.
A dedicated servant to Eastern Michigan, Fountain was hired as the Director of Sports Information in 1966. He was promoted to Director of Information Services in 1974, Executive Director of Information Services in 1978, and Associate Vice President for University Relations in 1980. Fountain was appointed Vice President for University Relations in 1983 and served in the role until 1985.
During his EMU tenure, Fountain called four NCAA Men's Basketball Tournaments (1988, 1991, 1996, and 1998), two bowl games (1971 Pioneer and 1987 California), two NCAA College World Series (1975 and 1976), and a NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament (2004). Overall, Eastern Michigan won nine Mid-American Conference regular season championships and seven MAC Tournament crowns while Fountain was on the call. Additionally, he helped provide media coverage for all 15 of EMU's national championship-winning teams at the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels.
Fountain will be remembered as the architect of the Eastern Energy program in 1984 that saved the university from being expelled from the MAC. Among his honors are, admission to the Eastern Michigan E-Club Athletics Hall of Fame, the Mid-American Conference Media Hall of Fame, and the Port Huron Sports Hall of Fame.
A veteran of the U.S. Navy and stationed in Libya, Fountain volunteered on top of his regular duties as an electric technician to keep his fellow service members up to date on sports back home. He discovered a radio station at a nearby military base, so he started a regular sports show that was broadcast from the facility.
"One of the coolest things I did was a play-by-play of the 1955 World Series," Fountain once said. "It was on a 10-second delay, and I was being fed information from Yankee Stadium."
When Fountain returned to the States, he worked his way through college with sports broadcasting gigs.
An Honorary Lifetime Member of the Detroit Sports Media Association (DSMA) and a past president, Fountain totaled 55 years of calling play-by-play action on the radio. He originally broadcast the University of Michigan on WAAM radio for three years before making the move to WEMU.
Fountain and his wife, Marge, established the J. Clarence and Courtney S. Fountain Sportscasters Scholarship Fund at Eastern Michigan University in 1984 to provide tuition grants each semester to a student who indicates a desire to pursue a career in telecommunications and sports broadcasting.
Fountain authored two books, "A View From the Board Room" and "Those 1940 Detroit Tigers," and donated all proceeds of those two books directly to his scholarship fund and the Detroit Sports Media Association Grant Fund, which awards grants for new broadcast equipment purchases at Michigan colleges, universities, and high schools.
Born March 23, 1932, in Port Huron, Mich. to J. Clarence and Courtney S. Fountain. He is survived by Marjorie A. Fountain, his wife of 65 years, four daughters: Kim (Steve) Goffee, Lynne (Paul) Gronvall, Julanne (Jeff) Williams, and Jacqueline (Steve) Luurtsema, as well as 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, from 9-11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 209 Washtenaw Ave, Ypsilanti. Service to follow at 11 a.m. A military graveside service will be held for immediate family in Port Huron.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – John C. Fountain, who served as the radio "Voice of EMU Athletics" for 44 years, passed away Nov. 15 at the age of 91. An Eastern Michigan University athletic legend, Fountain never made a basket or saw any on-court action, but painted the radio picture of the game from press row.
Fountain first began his 44-year love affair with EMU Athletics and WEMU (89.1 FM) in 1963 when he broadcast his first football game for the then-Hurons. He was EMU's man on the microphone for football games from 1963 until 2001. Giving up the football broadcasts was a tough decision for Fountain, but he retained the men's and women's basketball play-by-play duties through the 2006-07 basketball campaign.
A dedicated servant to Eastern Michigan, Fountain was hired as the Director of Sports Information in 1966. He was promoted to Director of Information Services in 1974, Executive Director of Information Services in 1978, and Associate Vice President for University Relations in 1980. Fountain was appointed Vice President for University Relations in 1983 and served in the role until 1985.
During his EMU tenure, Fountain called four NCAA Men's Basketball Tournaments (1988, 1991, 1996, and 1998), two bowl games (1971 Pioneer and 1987 California), two NCAA College World Series (1975 and 1976), and a NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament (2004). Overall, Eastern Michigan won nine Mid-American Conference regular season championships and seven MAC Tournament crowns while Fountain was on the call. Additionally, he helped provide media coverage for all 15 of EMU's national championship-winning teams at the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels.
Fountain will be remembered as the architect of the Eastern Energy program in 1984 that saved the university from being expelled from the MAC. Among his honors are, admission to the Eastern Michigan E-Club Athletics Hall of Fame, the Mid-American Conference Media Hall of Fame, and the Port Huron Sports Hall of Fame.
A veteran of the U.S. Navy and stationed in Libya, Fountain volunteered on top of his regular duties as an electric technician to keep his fellow service members up to date on sports back home. He discovered a radio station at a nearby military base, so he started a regular sports show that was broadcast from the facility.
"One of the coolest things I did was a play-by-play of the 1955 World Series," Fountain once said. "It was on a 10-second delay, and I was being fed information from Yankee Stadium."
When Fountain returned to the States, he worked his way through college with sports broadcasting gigs.
An Honorary Lifetime Member of the Detroit Sports Media Association (DSMA) and a past president, Fountain totaled 55 years of calling play-by-play action on the radio. He originally broadcast the University of Michigan on WAAM radio for three years before making the move to WEMU.
Fountain and his wife, Marge, established the J. Clarence and Courtney S. Fountain Sportscasters Scholarship Fund at Eastern Michigan University in 1984 to provide tuition grants each semester to a student who indicates a desire to pursue a career in telecommunications and sports broadcasting.
Fountain authored two books, "A View From the Board Room" and "Those 1940 Detroit Tigers," and donated all proceeds of those two books directly to his scholarship fund and the Detroit Sports Media Association Grant Fund, which awards grants for new broadcast equipment purchases at Michigan colleges, universities, and high schools.
Born March 23, 1932, in Port Huron, Mich. to J. Clarence and Courtney S. Fountain. He is survived by Marjorie A. Fountain, his wife of 65 years, four daughters: Kim (Steve) Goffee, Lynne (Paul) Gronvall, Julanne (Jeff) Williams, and Jacqueline (Steve) Luurtsema, as well as 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, from 9-11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 209 Washtenaw Ave, Ypsilanti. Service to follow at 11 a.m. A military graveside service will be held for immediate family in Port Huron.
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