John C. Fountain Obituary, Legendary EMU Broadcaster Passed Away

John C. Fountain Obituary, Death John C. Fountain, who served as the radio presenter and Voice of EMU Athletics for a period of 44 years, passed away on November 15 at the age of 91. Fountain, a legendary Eastern Michigan University athlete, never participated in a game on the court by scoring a basket

0SHARESShareTweet

John C. Fountain Obituary, Death – John C. Fountain, who served as the radio presenter and “Voice of EMU Athletics” for a period of 44 years, passed away on November 15 at the age of 91. Fountain, a legendary Eastern Michigan University athlete, never participated in a game on the court by scoring a basket or observing any action; instead, he provided live coverage of the game from press row. The commencement of Fountain’s forty-four-year association with EMU Athletics and WEMU (89.1 FM) occurred in 1963, when he aired his inaugural football contest for the Houston Hornets.

Between 1963 and 2001, he fulfilled the role of the football game announcer for EMU. Despite the challenging choice he made to discontinue football broadcasting, Fountain persisted in delivering play calls for both men’s and women’s basketball until the 2006–07 season. Fountain, an ardent Eastern Michigan employee, was designated director of sports information in 1966. He assumed the position of executive director of information services in 1974, associate vice president of university relations in 1978, and director of information services once more in 1980. Fountain assumed the role of vice president for university relations in 1983 and maintained that position until 1985.

While employed at EMU, Fountain presided over the following: two NCAA College World Series (1975 and 1976), two bowl games (Pioneer, 1987 and California), four NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments (1988, 1991, 1996, and 1998), and one NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament (2004). Eastern Michigan achieved triumph in nine Mid-American Conference regular season championships and seven MAC Tournament titles under the leadership of Fountain.

The earnings from Fountain’s two literary works, “A View From the Board Room” and “Those 1940 Detroit Tigers,” were donated to support the Detroit Sports Media Association Grant Fund. This fund, in addition to Fountain’s scholarship fund, provides financial assistance to Michigan colleges, universities, and high schools for the acquisition of new broadcast equipment. On March 23, 1932, in Port Huron, Michigan, J. Clarence and Courtney S. Fountain welcomed their child. In addition to his four daughters Jacqueline (Steve) Luurtsema, Julanne (Jeff) Williams, Lynne (Paul) Gronvall, and Kim (Steve) Goffee, his 65-year-old wife, Marjorie A. Fountain, also survives him. Additionally, ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren survive him.

0SHARESShareTweet

ncG1vNJzZmihnqG8t7XNoKSepZ%2Bntqa%2FzZ6urGaTpLpwts6hpWabXZu8trrTmqCnZZ%2BXtrXBwKuwZqSVnLKvsMCrsGadnap6o77OmpucmaOpsrN5z5qqrJ2UYq64rdho

 Share!