Pirates' Football Voice Ends 30-Year Run
November 12, 2019
By Tim Robinson
Special for Second Half
PINCKNEY — Bob Reason has been the voice of Pinckney High School football and basketball for more than 30 years.
It’s his voice you heard over the public address system, good times and bad, through wins and losses.
He’s always played it down the middle, in the style of public address announcers at Michigan Stadium.
“I get excited when Pinckney scores,” he said in the Pinckney Stadium press box last week. ‘But I don’t want to take away from the athletes.”
Reason, a 1961 Pinckney graduate who moved back to the house he was born and grew up in during the mid-1980s, announced his last football game Oct. 11, Pinckney’s homecoming game.
Fittingly, it was against Dexter, where Reason lived for more than a decade and, with former Dreadnaughts athletic director Al Ritt, helped pass a bond issue in the 1970s that built a stadium now named for Ritt.
At 76, Reason decided it was time to retire.
“I just enjoyed doing it, but at 76, I feel it’s time,” he said.
He’ll still do Pinckney basketball for at least two more seasons. His son, Tom, is the boys coach and grandson Dylan is a junior.
“I’m going to try to sucker him into announcing for the girls program when my daughter is old enough to play,” Tom said, chuckling. “But he wants to sit in the stands, and sometimes it’s nice to sit there and be a grandpa.”
It will be a well-earned retirement for Reason, whose athletic career at Pinckney ended when he tore a knee ligament on the first play of his senior football season.
He became the Pirates public-address announcer after moving back to Pinckney from the Toledo area.
“One of his first games was announcing my brother’s games,” Tom Reason said. “I remember being a rug rat running around the stands. I thought it was pretty neat. When you’re a young one, you think your dad is the coolest dad in the world because his voice is coming out of the press box.
“To this day, my daughters love it. They always go up and visit him and he gives them candy. It’s a neat thing. I’ve been around Pinckney athletics for a long time, and it’s neat to hear his voice.”
Bob Reason has been active in the community too over the last 30-plus years. He’s served on the Pinckney athletic boosters board and spent a quarter-century running Saturday morning basketball programs at Pinckney, including enlisting varsity players as referees.
And it’s the athletes that kept bringing Bob Reason back to the microphone.
Well, that, and a slight bit of chicanery the last couple of years.
“He tried to retire, but I wouldn’t let him,” former Pinckney athletic director Tedd Bradley said.
“I was going to retire five years ago,” Reason said. “(Bradley) said, ‘OK, but we’ll have to find someone, so you have to do it this year. And then the next year, they didn’t find anyone.”
Current AD Brian Wardlow finally bent to Reason’s wishes this year, hiring Pat Allen, who worked the Pirates’ final home game against Jackson this season.
“There were a lot of people there (at homecoming), and people who had been around for decades got to hear one last game,” Wardlow said. “When I was in Pinckney, Bob was our football announcer, too, so he’s the only voice I’ve ever known in football and basketball.”
And, through his years working for Pinckney athletic programs, generations of Pinckney athletes know him and say hello.
“We went to Disney World as a family a few years ago, and three people came up to us. At Disney World,” Tom Reason said. “They come up and say, ‘Hey, Mr. Reason!’ We can’t go anywhere without someone knowing him.”
Bob Reason said part of the impetus toward retirement was his eyesight, which had been slowly failing due to cataracts the last couple of years. He credits his longtime spotter in the press box, Linda Lambert, with helping him credit the right athletes at the right time.
“Some of the teams that have played have white jerseys with white numbers outlined in black, and it’s hard to see the numbers,” he said. “I could not have done the games the last two years without her.”
The man in the PA booth, so calm with his delivery, is a Pinckney Pirate through and through.
Take the 1989 season, for example.
The Pirates had made the playoffs with an 8-1 record and had drawn a home game with East Grand Rapids in the first round. Below the “Welcome to Pinckney” sign outside of town, he and some co-conspirators hung a sign that said, “Welcome, East Grand Rapids. We’ve been waiting for you.”
East Grand Rapids won the game, 37-30 on a touchdown in the final minutes, and Reason went to Flint to see the Pioneers play Oxford in the next round.
“I had a Pinckney hat on,” Reason said, “and a guy from East Grand Rapids saw my hat and talked to me about the sign.”
The gentleman, as it turned out, was more than a little chapped about the sign.
“I said, ‘We just wanted to welcome you,’” Reason said, laughing at the memory.
After all these years, he said, the games and players all roll together in memory, but the lure of high school sports remains.
“I still think high school athletes give all they’ve got,” Reason said, “every game they play, regardless of position. Athletics is not just about winning. It’s about learning to play with your teammates, developing your skills, trying to be the best you can be and learning life lessons. I think one of the most important things high school athletics gives all of our kids is never to give up. Regardless of what happens in your life, there’s tomorrow, and never give up. Keep trying and keep working, and I think that carries forward into life itself.”
“He’s always super-complimentary about every kid who’s out there trying,” said Wardlow, who grew up in Pinckney and has been employed by the school district since 2002. “It’s important in a community like Pinckney to have that guy you can always count on, and the community knows what it’s going to get.”
Reason said he’s not going anywhere.
“I don’t have any interest in moving,” he said. “I talked about moving to Florida once. I said to my kids, ‘Do any of you want to buy the house? I’ll sell it for $500,000.’ I was joking, of course, and they said, ‘No, Dad. It’s too much. We’ll give you a dollar.’”
So Bob and his wife, Dorothy, are staying in Pinckney.
“The football team gave me a cushioned seat for the stands,” he said. ‘I’ll go to the home games. I love it. I like to watch the band play at halftime.”
Bradley, who retired in 2015, looks forward to attending games with his friend next fall.
“I will enjoy standing next to him at those games,” he said. “Bob is a tremendous gentlemen. He and his family are special people.”
PHOTO: Longtime Pinckney announcer Bob Reason takes his familiar seat in the stadium’s press box. (Photo by Tim Robinson.)
1st & Goal: 2025 Week 9 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 23, 2025
This is it – the final football weekend for more than half of Michigan’s high school teams, and also the final opportunity for a few hundred playoff hopefuls to earn their way into this year’s playoffs – or affect who they might play and where on their MHSAA championship drives.
A pair of late Saturday games will conclude this fall’s regular-season schedule. Follow the ever-changing playoff picture as scores are reported on the Football Playoff Point Summary page, which includes playoff-point averages and how teams rank as they hope to reach the fields of 32 teams in 11-player divisions and 16 teams in the 8-player brackets.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday on the “Selection Sunday Show” on the NFHS Network (no subscription required). The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the show, and times and dates will be added Monday.
Below are several games this weekend that surely will impact where teams will land.
Bay & Thumb
Harbor Beach (8-0) at Millington (7-1) WATCH
This is a meeting of Big Thumb Conference champions with aspirations for more trophies next month. Harbor Beach won the BTC Black and hasn’t ranked lower that sixth on the Division 8 playoff list since at least Week 3. The Pirates also haven’t given up more than 14 points in a game and 62 total over eight, making for an intriguing matchup for the Cardinals – last season’s Division 7 champion, who shared the BTC White title this fall and have scored more than 50 three times but also 14 three times.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Midland (4-4) at Midland Dow (7-1) WATCH, Detroit Edison (7-1) at Almont (8-0) WATCH, Saginaw Valley Lutheran (8-0) at Unionville-Sebewaing (6-2) WATCH, Marysville (6-2) at Marine City (6-2).
Greater Detroit
Detroit Catholic Central (8-0) vs. Detroit Martin Luther King (5-3) at Ford Field, Saturday WATCH
The final kickoff of the 2025 regular season features a pair of teams facing off at Ford Field and hoping to return there for Thanksgiving weekend. This Catholic High School League Prep Bowl matchup will actually be King’s second-straight game on the Detroit Lions’ home field, as they fell in last week’s Detroit Public School League Blue city championship game to Cass Tech – the only in-state team to defeat King this season, and a possible playoff opponent for DCC at some point in the Division 1 bracket. The Shamrocks’ closest games this season have been a pair decided by 13 points.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Howell (7-1) at Belleville (7-1) WATCH, Birmingham Groves (5-3) at Birmingham Seaholm (5-3) WATCH, Utica Eisenhower (5-3) at Clarkston (7-1) WATCH, Grand Blanc (8-0) at Romeo (6-2) WATCH.
Mid-Michigan
DeWitt (8-0) at Lansing Everett (5-3) WATCH
The Capital Area Activities Conference Blue is one of the final leagues still deciding its champion(s) for this season, and DeWitt already has clinched a share as it looks to extend its winning streak over the Vikings to five. Grand Ledge is in second place and would benefit from an Everett upset, but the challenge will be mighty as the Panthers have scored 50 or more points in every league game and given up 14 total over their last five. Everett did break a three-game losing streak last week with a 28-21 win over Holt, and has faced another still-undefeated contender in Grand Blanc.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Durand (6-2) at Bath (4-4) WATCH, McBain (6-2) at Fowler (6-2) WATCH, Beal City (8-0) at Ithaca (6-2) WATCH, White Pigeon (6-2) at Stockbridge (4-4) WATCH.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Charlevoix (8-0) at Kingsley (6-2) WATCH
This should be an excellent playoff primer for both. Charlevoix has won two straight games by three points or fewer to keep its perfect regular season hopes alive and is third on the Division 7 playoff list. Kingsley, with losses only to undefeated Gaylord and rival Traverse City St. Francis by a point, sits 10th on the Division 6 list and one spot ahead of the Gladiators – meaning a home game if they can maintain that advantage and meet again in the playoffs. The Stags won 47-28 when these two met in Week 9 a year ago.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Kalkaska (5-3) at Boyne City (5-3) WATCH, Elk Rapids (4-4) at East Jordan (5-3) WATCH, Maple City Glen Lake (6-1) at Mancelona (5-3) WATCH, Traverse City Central (5-3) at Traverse City West (4-4).
Southeast & Border
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (8-0) vs. Allen Park Cabrini (8-0) at Ford Field, Saturday WATCH
For the second week in a row, FGR will puts its perfect record on the line against another undefeated opponent – this time as part of the Prep Bowl at Ford Field. The Irish clinched the CHSL Intersectional 1 championship last week by handing Macomb Lutheran North its lone defeat, 44-19. Cabrini is the champion from the Intersectional 2 and aspiring to complete its first perfect regular season since 1967, when it finished 7-0-1 according the Michigan-Football.com. The Monarchs finished 5-5 a year ago and already have their most wins since 2007.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Linden (6-2) at Chelsea (7-1) WATCH, Bronson (7-1) at Springport (8-0) WATCH. SATURDAY Hanover-Horton (6-2) at Michigan Center (8-0) WATCH, Jackson Lumen Christi (5-3) vs. Center Line (7-1) at Ford Field.
Southwest Corridor
Portage Central (8-0) at St. Joseph (5-3) WATCH
The Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West also is finishing up league play, with Portage Central owning a share of the title but a St. Joseph win tonight creating a three-team share with these two and Portage Northern. The Mustangs may have the most impressive defense in the state with seven shutouts and only 10 points allowed. That said, St. Joseph won last year’s meeting 15-0 to create a shared league title between the two, and has scored 35 points or more every game since a Week 1 loss to last season’s Division 4 runner-up and still-undefeated Niles.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Hudson (8-0) at Berrien Springs (5-1) WATCH, Lawton (6-2) at Constantine (6-2) WATCH, Niles (8-0) at Edwardsburg (6-2) WATCH, Kalamazoo United (6-2) at Schoolcraft (7-1) WATCH.
Upper Peninsula
Kingsford (6-2) at Marquette (5-3) WATCH
These two are now three years removed from being longtime league rivals in the Great Northern Conference, but this game continues to carry significant weight and especially when it comes to Marquette’s playoff future. Kingsford has won the last three meetings, and last year’s 27-17 victory contributed to keeping the Sentinels out of the postseason. Marquette sits No. 27 on the Division 3 list this week with losses to opponents that are a combined 20-4. The Flivvers are No. 16 in Division 5 but coming off a tough league-deciding defeat against Menominee.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Iron Mountain (5-2) at Negaunee (5-3) WATCH. FRIDAY Gladstone (3-5) at Escanaba (7-1) WATCH, Calumet (6-2) at L’Anse (5-3) WATCH, Hancock (1-7) at West Iron County (3-4) WATCH.
West Michigan
Wyoming Godwin Heights (7-1) at Belding (7-1)
This is a winner-take-all for the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver title, as Belding looks to extend its league championship streak to four and Godwin Heights seeks to add a historic accomplishment to what also will be its first playoff season since 2018 (not counting COVID-shortened 2020, when nearly all teams qualified). Although Belding has won the last three meetings between these two, Godwin did claim it as recently as 2021 – the last time the Black Knights didn’t win the Silver.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Grand Rapids South Christian (4-4) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-0) WATCH, Zeeland West (6-2) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (7-1), Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (6-2) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (8-0) WATCH, North Muskegon (6-2) at Muskegon Oakridge (5-3) WATCH.
8-Player
Indian River Inland Lakes (8-0) at Gaylord St. Mary (7-1)
The Ski Valley Conference title is at stake, and Inland Lakes has won all four of those since joining the league in 2021 – with St. Mary finishing runner-up the last three seasons. They played one-score games against each other in 2022 and 2023 before the Bulldogs won big a year ago. Inland Lakes also has an argument for most impressive defense in the state this season, with its 14 points allowed to Hillman in Week 5 the only points the team has surrendered all fall. The Snowbirds have three shutouts in league play and their only loss came two weeks ago to a likely playoff team in Breckenridge.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Blanchard Montabella (8-0) at Portland St. Patrick (8-0), Marion (6-2) at Kingston (7-1) WATCH, Bridgman (7-1) at Brown City (6-2) WATCH, Climax-Scotts (6-2) at Pittsford (7-1) WATCH.
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PHOTO Detroit Martin Luther King and Cass Tech players contend for a pass in the end zone during last week's PSL Blue city championship game. (Photo by Olivia B. Photography.)