AUSTIN, Texas — Legendary broadcaster and Austin High alum Verne Lundquist may be retired, but he's living it up in his old stomping grounds.
"I guarantee I can here the noise on Friday and Saturday night from Sixth Street," Lundquist said. "We're very aware of where we live."
Lundquist and his wife, Nancy, have a place in Downtown Austin, the city where he grew up and started his illustrious broadcasting career.
On Tuesday, a new venture was launched as Lundquist and the Headliners Foundation teamed up to establish the Verne Lundquist Sports Media Institute.
Lundquist said he feels like everything has come full circle.
"To see it come to fruition and to be launched this evening is just stunning," Lundquist said.
The purpose of the institution is to promote excellence in journalism.
To his peers, there's none better than Lundquist.
"I think what most people tangentially would think about Verne are the great calls that he's made," CBS Announcer James Brown said. "They were all extemporaneous. Verne was always exceedingly well-prepared whether it was the Jack Nicklaus call or the Tiger Woods shot."
Lundquist credits those famous calls to experience and preparation.
"If that [call] happened in the '70s, I would not have reacted the same way that I did," Lundquist said. "But, I trusted myself to just react."
If there is one piece of advice he would give to aspiring journalists, it's to persevere.
"Be resilient. Stick to it and be resilient and understand that there will be ups but there will also be downs," Lundquist said.
Lundquist had his fair share in his 50 years on the job, and while he hasn't stepped away entirely, he still went out on top.