Denny Matthews shares remembrances of late KU and Royals broadcaster Bob Davis
A couple years ago, Royals broadcaster Denny Matthews was at Allen Fieldhouse for a Kansas men’s basketball game when he had an opportunity to catch up with an old friend.
Bob Davis, who had retired as the “Voice of the Jayhawks” in 2016, still attended KU games and had run into Matthews.
“It was an hour and a half before the game, and we just sat and talked,” Matthews recalled Thursday before the Royals’ season opener. “We were maybe five or six rows up from the floor. I said, ‘You seem out of place sitting here in the seats. Where you belong is down there.’”
Matthews meant on radio row where Davis made his mark with KU sports fans. For 32 years, Davis called Jayhawks basketball and football games before retiring in 2016.
Davis, who died last week at the age of 80, also called Royals games from 1997 to 2013, working closely with Matthews. The Royals finished with a winning record in just two seasons during that span. Matthews appreciated that Davis often wore his heart on his sleeve.
“He was the consummate professional,” Matthews said. “And even if the Royals weren’t doing that well, you could tell he was disappointed, but his sense of humor was so good. I mean, he could lighten things up quick, which I really appreciated. And he was so good at that. He was a true fan. Obviously KU, he was bleeding KU blue. And same here. He was always supporting the home team and made no qualms about it, which I admired about him.
“The way that he would get so jacked up on great plays or clutch hits or big home runs, he’d let you know. And a lot of people bring their little transistor radios — not as many now — but with Bob, when the window was open, you didn’t need your transistor if you were in the stands. You could hear him.”
While Matthews thoroughly enjoyed his time working with Davis, he was known as the “Voice of the Jayhawks” for a reason.
Davis called the Kansas football team’s 2008 Orange Bowl victory, and was there for numerous big men’s basketball games. He worked the 1988 and 2008 national championships, along with eight of the Jayhawks’ Final Four appearances.
“He had that great broadcasting voice. It just was a perfect voice for what he did,” Matthews said. “I always thought he was tremendous. You hate to say he’s better at basketball than football or better at football than baseball. You can’t do that, but I thought basketball for him was really his niche. He just seemed to thrive on that sport. You could just tell. I could anyway.
“The laugh, the sense of humor, are the things that really stood out. And he loved a good joke. He loved a good story, whether it was true or not. He was just fun to be around. And it was just a joy for those years.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 9:09 AM.
