Gordon (Gordie) Wise, a founding member of the Wright State University Retirees Association and professor emeritus of marketing, was presented an award before the start of the Wright State vs Miami basketball game Dec. 5. He was honored by the Department of Athletics for his 49 years of service as the volunteer announcer for the Wright State basketball games.
“Gordie said he’s had the best seat in the house,” Richard Doty wrote in a Wright State Magazine article about him. His volunteer position began as a lark. Gordie became friends with Don Mohr, the university’s first athletic director, due to their shared interest in sports. Before Wright State’s first basketball game, Mohr met with several friends and colleagues and began offering assignments, like running the clock and keeping score, and Gordie was selected in 1969 to be the game announcer.
In addition, Gordie was on the feasibility committee to study starting a sports program at the university. He drafted the original constitution for the Athletics Council and served as its first chair. He spent 21 years on the Council, and also spent 19 years as the Wright State faculty representative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
