Blean Anson Calkins (August 11, 1921 in

Marshalltown Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

- March 16, 2003 in Muscatine,

) was a

sports radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sport, sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-low comedy ...

broadcaster for over 30 years. He was President of the

National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association The National Sports Media Association (NSMA), formerly the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, is an organization of sports media members in the United States, and constitutes the American chapter of the International Sports P ...

(NSSA) 1978-1981, and served on the NSSA Board with such contemporaries as

Curt Gowdy Curtis Edward Gowdy (July 31, 1919 – February 20, 2006) was an American sportscaster. He called Boston Red Sox games on radio and TV for 15 years, and then covered many nationally televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports and ABC S ...

Chris Schenkel Christopher Eugene Schenkel (August 21, 1923 – September 11, 2005) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and bar ...

Keith Jackson Keith Max Jackson (October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018) was an American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality, known for his career with ABC Sports (1966–2006). While he covered a variety of sports over his caree ...

and Ray Scott. His birth was a difficult one, the attending doctor was credited with saving his life, so he was named in honor of Dr. Blean. Calkins broadcast

Iowa Hawkeyes The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 22 sports, 8 for men and 14 for women; a 15th women's sport will be added in 2023. The teams partici ...

basketball and football home games along with Iowa high school athletics on KWPC out of Muscatine for over 30 years. Calkins also did morning drive sports on album rock 99 Plus through most of the 1980s. Morning show host Andy Hammer dubbed it "Radio's biggest two minutes".

Awards

* Iowa Sportscaster of the Year award: 1969, 1974, 1975, 1976 * He received the News Media Award in 1982 from the Iowa High School Athletics Association * Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association for Outstanding Contributions to High School Athletics.

Death

Blean Calkin died in his sleep at home March 16, 2003. He had been living with a heart ailment since suffering a massive heart attack in 1989. 1921 births 2003 deaths American sports announcers American sports radio personalities People from Marshalltown, Iowa People from Muscatine, Iowa {{US-radio-bio-stub