Chip Jones, who announces LaPorte High School games on WLOI/WCOE, is this year’s recipient of the 201617 IHSAA Distinguished Media Service Award for District 1.
A life-long resident of LaPorte, Jones, earned the “Voice of the Slicers” moniker for his years of calling play-byplay on his hometown’s radio station. Since 2000, he has called all home and away games in football, boys basketball and baseball as well as dozens of girls basketball games during that time. It is estimated he has announced over 150 football games, 315 boys basketball games and 435 baseball games while wearing his headset.
His contributions to education-based athletics will be recognized on Saturday afternoon at LaPorte High School when the Slicers host John Glenn in boys basketball. IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox and Sports Information Director Jason Wille will be on hand to make the presentation.
“Chip is well-respected and well-known for his talents as an announcer, not only in LaPorte, but also in those communities competing against the Slicers,” says LaPorte Director of Athletics Ed Gilliland. “I would anticipate there are not many schools that have all home and away games in three sports plus IHSAA tournament games, broadcast on a local radio station.”
“My first experience with sports broadcasting came in high school, says Jones. “WLOI/WCOE was doing LaPorte football games live and then broadcasting New Prairie games tape delay. My job was to drive to New Prairie's game, serve as a spotter during the first half, then drive the first half tape back to the station.”
“In the early 90's a friend of mine was the program director at WEFM in Michigan City. I starting spotting, keeping score and doing some color for him at Michigan City and various schools in Southwest Michigan. When he left I became the play by play voice for those games.”
“I started doing some LaPorte games for WCOE during this time, filling in for and helping the sports director do games. I started broadcasting all home and away Slicer football, boys basketball, and baseball games, plus some girls basketball games, in the 2000-2001 school year and have been doing them ever since. I’m also grateful for my two main color men over this period in the late Jim Fanselow and my current partner Steve Manering.”
WLOI/WCOE has been doing all of LaPorte's basketball and football games since at least the 1940's and has carried all home and away baseball games since that tournament started in 1967.
Chip is a 1974 graduate of LaPorte High School and was an outstanding athlete lettering all four years in both baseball and basketball for the Slicers under Hall of Fame coaches Ken Schreiber and Skip Collins. He was a four-year starter in baseball and was a member of the 1971 state championship team, the 1973 state runner-up team and captained the 1974 squad. He went on to play baseball at Indiana University where he graduated in 1978. Jones is in the Slicer Old Timers Baseball Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Hubner Athletic Hall of Fame at LaPorte High School in 2015.
He and his wife Susie will celebrate 37 years of marriage this year and they have three grown daughters: Brady, Kelly and Amy and three grandchildren: Andre, Emery and August. Jones is a real estate broker at MTM Realty Group and runs the property preservation and management company, Property Solutions.
This is the 32nd year the IHSAA has recognized outstanding members of the Indiana news media from each of its three legislative districts for excellence in the coverage of high school sports. District 1 covers 22 counties across northern Indiana. Jones joins former Herald-Argus writers Dave Krider (1985-86) and Earl Mishler (199495) as local recipients of this award and is the second of three individuals to be honored this school year joining Rick Semmler of WTHI-TV in Terre Haute who was recognized last month.