Rich Kimball and Bob Lucy will be back behind the microphones to broadcast University of Maine football games after recently reaching a verbal agreement with Learfield.
Kimball said they have agreed to a three-year deal with Learfield, the multimedia rights holder for UMaine athletics.
They will be starting their 20th season together this fall, and the games will be broadcast again on Bangor radio station 103.9 WVOM FM and goblackbears.com, UMaine’s website.
Kimball, 57, wouldn’t disclose the financial terms but did say they have been compensated very well.
“But it has never been about the money. We love doing the games,” Kimball, the play-by-play man, said. “The coaching staff and Learfield have been very supportive.
“It’s very exciting to be a part of it going forward,” he added.
The football program will take on a new look this fall as former defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak replaces Jack Cosgrove as the head coach. Cosgrove stepped down after 23 years to assume the role of senior associate director of athletics at UMaine.
“It’s going to be very interesting,” Kimball said. “Over the last 19 years, the only four people who have seen every Maine football game have been Bob, me, Jack Cosgrove and [equipment manager] Steve Jones.
“Any time you have a change, there’s some excitement there,” he added. “There will be a different way of doing things, a young staff with its own ideas. That’s good.
“I loved working with [Cosgrove]. I consider him a close friend. He has been very supportive of us. But this gives us a chance to recharge our batteries and look at something different, something that is unknown to all of us.”
Kimball, a six-time Maine Sportscaster of the Year and a teacher at Brewer High School, said he figures he and Lucy have called UMaine football games in 34 states over 19 years and that it is always enjoyable to get out on the road with someone he considers a great friend.
“We knew each other before we started doing games. We laugh from the time I pick him up until the time I drop him off at the end of a road trip,” Kimball said. “We take it seriously and put in a lot of effort, but we also have a lot of fun.”
Lucy, the superintendent at Regional School Unit 68 in the Dover-Foxcroft area, also has won a Sportscaster of the Year award.
Editor’s note: Larry Mahoney is employed by Learfield for its UMaine men’s hockey radio broadcasts.