‘Voice of the Broncos’ Mike Will inducted into Hastings College Athletic Hall of Fame

HASTINGS, Neb. (News Channel Nebraska) - His voice has boomed through the radio sets in Hastings for decades and now his name will forever be etched into the Hastings College Hall of Fame.

Mike Will has been the Voice of the Broncos since 1999. He was among the eight individuals and two teams inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday night.

“It’s the culmination of all the hard work,” Will said. “The trips I take to Sioux City and to Sioux Center and to Jamestown, North Dakota… it pays off with something like this.”

Will has worked in radio for 40 years and spent more than half of those years broadcasting Broncos football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball games on KHAS radio and ESPN Tri-Cities. His dedication is noticed by Hastings College coaches, including football coach Matt Franzen.

“There’s nobody else - definitely in the GPAC - probably in small college athletics that puts as much time and effort into what Mike does to prep for a football game,” Franzen said.

“He’s tremendous,” Franzen said. “He’s very thorough in his coverage and just does a really good job. I think it’s unique for a small college to get the quality of coverage that we do.”

Will has racked up several accolades from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and was named Media Person of the Year by the Nebraska Coaches Association in 2011. He says it’s his sportscasting fundamentals that have contributed to his success and longevity.

“(Listeners) know when they turn on our game, you don’t have listen very long to hear where the ball is and what the score is,” Will said.

Will lists his women’s basketball national championship broadcasts and playoff football broadcasts among his favorite Bronco moments.

“The pull and the pride I have in being the Voice of the Broncos has always brought me back here,” Will said. “It feels good when you come out to an event like this and everybody recognizes you.”

He’s read thousands of Bronco athletes’ names on the radio… and now those people can read his name in the Hall of Fame.

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