2:20 p.m.: Who is the voice of Nebraska?

I thought of this Wednesday upon hearing the news that Ernie Harwell, the legendary radio voice of the Detroit Tigers, has passed away. Harwell was the voice of many generations of Tiger fans. If you heard his voice, you thought of one thing: Detroit Tigers. A truly great play-by-play guy is like a family member. You grow up with them, in your house or car or bedroom, and the mere sound of their voice makes the memories of your life rush back.

This is how good Ernie was: his death was the topic of talk radio on Wednesday. On the "Mike and Mike'' show Wednesday morning, they had Tigers manager Jim Leyland on to talk about his memories. Leyland said when he heard the news about Harwell's death, "I didn't want to cry, I wanted to clap,'' to thank the man for a lifetime of service. Great line. Later, Matt Schick and Nick Bahe had a tribute on their ESPN 1620 morning show, in which they asked listeners to phone in the name of the broadcaster who was the voice they grew up with.

As a kid growing up in southern California, mine was Vin Scully, the best there ever was. And, thankfully, still is.

Anyway, all of this talk about generational voices made me wonder: Who is the voice of Nebraska?

Answer: Husker fans don't really have one. To me, that's kind of sad.

For years, it was Lyell Bremser. But that was 40 years ago. A generation, or more, of Husker fans have grown up with more than one voice describing Husker heroics on Saturday afternoons.

Kent Pavelka is that guy for many folks. He inherited the important role of narrator from Bremser. But he was ushered out by Husker Network chief Paul Aaron in 1996. If there is anyone close to being "the voice of Nebraska,'' it's still Pavelka, who was on the call for the first two Osborne national championships. Many people associate Pavelka's voice — now heard on Husker basketball games — as the voice they grew up with. But there's a whole new generation now that doesn't know.

Then came Warren Swain. Nice man. Good broadcaster. But few Nebraskans associate him with Nebraska football or their memories of the games.

Then there was Jim Rose. It looked like a great fit for the home-grown Rose. But, again, it didn't last. Rose said he left on his own. Others will tell you the politics of the job got him, too.

Now there's Greg Sharpe, as good as there is in college football. Interestingly, Sharpe, a Kansas State grad, was the voice of Kansas State for many years, until politics of the purple persuasion, sacked him. Sharpe is good enough that, if he lasts, he could be that voice one day. But in that business, who knows?

I'm not here to talk politics. I liked them all, and they all had different styles. It just seems strange that a place like Nebraska, built so much on tradition, doesn't have "that guy'' or "that voice.'' I blame that on the people running the Husker Network over the years, and to an extent the NU athletic department, which certainly has a say in who sits behind the mike. They never cultivated or developed that voice. Husker fans are richer than many in traditions. But this is one place where I think they've kind of missed out.

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