Former Utah Jazz president Randy Rigby remembers Salt Lake Bees broadcaster Steve Klauke
one of the founding fathers of so many great broadcasts and so many great uh Talent here in Utah he always had the vision of what great broadcasts were and and knew the importance of radio and and the value of it and let Talent go out and do their thing and be great and I owe him a ton I know Steve KY owed him a ton as well but joining us now Randy Rigby uh former president of the Utah Jazz uh just overall incredible human being joining us Randy how are you hey Randy well I’m um I’m in some very tender moments right now because I’ve just lost a dear friend but uh it’s an honor to always be on with the Scotty in h so I love you guys and uh I love Steve Clocky dearly take us back um to what led you to calling up Steve and saying we want you to come to Salt Lake City because Steve clowy to Salt Lake City doesn’t happen if you and I believe Randy Rogers were in on that conversations as well in bringing Steve to Salt Lake that that is that is correct we were uh Randy and I had uh worked really closely together in building uh Sports in sports radio and just uh having the Jazz games on the great old uh uh uh 570 uh and um we made a decision that uh you know what there was such a big passion for jet for sports and for the Jazz that uh we wanted to develop uh the first ever back here sports radio station and we knew we needed to have some good talent around us and um Dave Blackwell was a choice man and a unique man and we says we need to have someone who can be on a sports radio with him uh an hour and a half before Jazz games an hour and a half after and that people that we could actually start then have on every day talking about not only Jazz but who was passionate about sports so um we put out a national search and started um looking at the hundreds of resumés and we came down to and this is many people don’t realize this we came down to two final candidates one was a man by the name of Joe Buck and the other one Steve clowy and uh interviewed Buck on the radio and we then invited Steve clowy to actually come out and uh and see us and um and I had actually uh uh my producer director also for the Jazz the time Brian Douglas involved with me and Randy and uh had Steve come out and interviewed Steve and Steve’s Love and ability in uh in loving Sports and I mean Steve loved Sports and you could feel it and and I had a great radio voice and um it was an easy decision to uh offer the job to Steve KY I want to I’m so curious with your ability to keep him with the bees and in this market for 29 Seasons as amazing as he was and well prepared and well loved how and and why did we get to keep him in this market as long as we got to keep him well it’s a tribute to Steve KY Steve clowy was not only a great sports broadcaster he was loyal he was the loyal employee and he was loyal to us as the Jazz he was loyal to to Larry Miller and and and Steve never forgot Steve was at a time in his career when we hired him that he um had really been between jobs for some time and I think really worrying and probably SU and Steve were worrying should he look at something other than Sports uh because he needed he needed stability and he needed a job and uh Steve never forgot that we believed in him and so Steve always believed in us and uh um one of one of his many great qualities you know I I think about Steve and one of the things I I can still see he had that witty and unique sense of humor and uh he could uh he he always could make you laugh and be uplifting and and yet always knew everything there was about uh every type of sports you could you could think of so you know the you’ve been around a lot of broadcasts and you know the work and the dedication and how hard broadcasting is the fact that you never had to hire a color analyst and I’m sure you may have even offered like hey Steve you know let’s at least get you somebody for home games Steve never needed a color analyst the amount of work and preparation like you can get away with that in basketball uh you can’t you know football not really baseball definitely not because there’s so much time and downtime between pitches and the fact that Stephen you I know you’ve seen them that that massive stack of 3×5 cards that we would have and have bios on each and every individual player and know everything about them the fact that he did 29 seasons of solo baseball I don’t think people can truly appreciate the fact that a he did it and B he made it seem so easy yes you’re exactly right Scott I mean he he was so prepared he and and he had a remarkable memory of not only sports but the individual play player so he could he could constantly and he loved and again he loved the game of baseball he loved sports but he really he really loved the game of baseball and he was he knew so much about the game its history and and then the and each and every player and how their career was growing or or struggling and and so and he loved to talk about it so he he felt very comfortable in his own skin and his own shoes to be able to say I you know what he never once came to me and said I could really use some help here and I think he appreciated also in Triple A baseball your your margins of of in in running the business side of it are pretty thin and so he also recognized that you know what it to help the team I need to be able to carry this load by myself because it’s it’s not something that a lot of the teams are willing to do and can do a lot of teams op to only do their some of them they only their home games because it’s cheaper they don’t have to travel them he wanted to be a pure provide for our fans games home and away and uh would make the take the price and do what he had to do to help uh us be able to be successful Randy I got many conversations with Steve and I don’t know if I could recall a conversation with with Steve where his his son or his wife or some aspect of his family didn’t come up I was just sharing some text exchange with Scotty and and some on air with Steve and and his love for his family and just the pride and joy he took in in the the work that his son has put in with the Jazz and what his son has become with the Jazz and he sure loved his family didn’t he well I’ll tell you what they were his pride and Joy number one Sue was his sweetheart and you you can’t do what Steve had to do in basketball and then in baseball and his passion for it but it takes its toll and you’re gone a lot and Sue couldn’t have been sweeter and Kinder and more supportive and uh she would do things so that she could work at the Ballpark so that they could be there together and I’ll tell you what the Apple doesn’t fall from the tree Lisa and Adam are two of the hardest working Lisa’s in the medical profession in nursing if I’m not mistaken and she is hardworking and dedicated and Adam you could ask for a better more loyal well you could Steve was the same way this loyal hardworking Dependable people that were always there for you and that’s what uh that’s that’s the clowy family and uh and he love them and um I that’s part of the reason I feel so my heart is aching right now for for all of them because I know how close that family is together and um and how much Sue was looking forward to having a little more of Steve’s time um for them to be able to enjoy a little more of life together um so it’s it’s a hard day and um you know one of the things I would hope our listeners would would appreciate is um great Sports is done with great athletes yes but there’s great people that are behind the scenes that make it come and make it so special Steve clowy was one of those people who made the games come alive and made you understand it and love it and appreciate it and uh um he will be sorely missed yeah well Randy um uh when uh when things calm down for uh the summer a little bit and uh we look ahead at better times uh my wife and I want to want to take you and your wife and let’s go hit El Matador together okay go see Todd and c and hang out and and catch up a little bit okay love to do it and I did hear on you guys’ show and you are guys are right one of my other pride and joys was H having two of you uh on our broad be part of the key broadcast for uh 1280 for the zone and uh you two are are two others that are great uh dear friends great broadcasters and uh great people that make a difference for good in the world so keep it up Randy you’re the best that means a lot Randy thank you so much Randy Rigby uh owe that man so much a lot of what I have in my life is because of Randy riy there’s no doubt about it
• Former Utah Jazz president Randy Rigby remembers Bees broadcaster Steve Klauke.
