One of the area’s most beloved sports figures will be recognized Saturday, Dec. 9, on “Art Hains Day” as Missouri State plays host to Sam Houston State at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The Bears’ veteran play-by-play voice, who’s returned to the microphone for home football and basketball games after nearly succumbing to severe complications from West Nile virus he contracted 15 months ago, is humbled by the recognition.
“Wow, I never thought that would happen,” Hains said earlier this week of the day in his honor. “That’s unbelievable and very nice of Missouri State to honor me in this way.”
Several halftime tributes planned
Halftime recognition for Hains will include a video tribute, an Art Hains Day presentation from Springfield Mayor Ken McClure and Missouri Valley Conference commissioner Jeff Jackson will present Hains with the John Sanders Spirit of the Valley Award.
Hains will address fans to conclude the ceremony, an opportunity to acknowledge those who followed his challenging journey to not only resume calling Bears’ action, but to survive the near-fatal illness.
This is Hains’ 43rd season calling Missouri State games in two stints. Along the way, he’s been inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame and Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame.
“There are many treasures in the Ozarks amongst its people and he is one of them,” said Mike Keltner, the basketball radio analyst for the Bears. “We are lucky to have Art and that he has stayed through most of his career with us. It’ll be so rewarding for everybody to continue to see the progress.”
Simply being back courtside is not enough for Hains, who holds himself to a high standard. He remains restricted to a motorized wheelchair as he is unable to walk, but hasn’t given up on regaining his mobility with regular physical therapy sessions ongoing.
“We’re working on that, working on the knees and legs and core strength,” Hains said. “We still don’t have the ability to turn over, roll over and that’s gonna be the next big step when we get to that. We may not, but we’re hopeful that will happen.”
Daughter Kathleen serving as Hains' ‘right hand'
It was an emotional experience when he resumed duties earlier this fall as Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network studio host and calling four Missouri State football home games from Plaster Stadium’s press box.
Daughter Kathleen has been at his side throughout, preparing statistics and game notes in a homemade manner that Hains has been used to referencing over the years.
“I couldn’t do any of this without my daughter. She is my right hand,” Hains said of Kathleen. “She’s a stage manager in theater and she’s my stage manager. We’ve had long hours out here with her writing the basketball notebook like I had it before with players, the number and some information about them.
“I haven’t been able to access that quite as quickly and we’re still trying to work out a formula. She’s holding that most of the time so I can see it. The same with the Chiefs. That’s really time-consuming, listening to most of the audio from the weekly press availability and deciding what to use and writing the pre-game scripts. I’ve dictated those for her and she’s typed them out and helped me on game day.”
Hains said he’s made two trips to Kansas City this season to join the radio crew for Chiefs’ broadcasts, calling it a welcome respite from doing games from inside his room at a local rehabilitation center.
“I didn’t need to, but wanted to,” he said. “It was really good to be up there with the guys at the radio station.”
Still getting back in the broadcast groove
In his three basketball games so far, Hains feels the most recent, against Evansville, was his best to date. He was bothered by his calls in the previous game, against South Carolina State. Part of that problem was a lack of available information about South Carolina State players.
“Evansville had a player with a very long name and I probably pronounced it five different ways,” Hains said. “The game before, I was really embarrassed. I had very little knowledge of the opposing team. Mike Keltner told me when the late Dick Bradley used to call Bears games, he would call all the Bears players by name, but for the other team he would just say, ‘It’s at the point over the wing and down to the post, into the corner for a shot, and it’s good.’
“They asked him about it and he said, ‘Well, the fans don’t care about the other team, they just care about the Bears.’ Well, for me that is very unprofessional and that’s what I was reduced to for the game before. We were better for Evansville in the last game and I think we’ll be better as we go along.”
Hains, 68, said calling football was difficult because he’s always used binoculars and the line of vision from his perch high above the field didn’t always work well.
“I had to call football, mostly just from my eyes” without binoculars, Hains said. “I was able to see the formations, but not always right away or as quickly as I would like who made a catch and stuff like that.
“That’s just a bigger production, with so many players, an offense and a defense. I love football, but basketball is really a lot easier to do from a standpoint of recognition being courtside.”
Gaining strength and preparing for Arch Madness
Another aspect of his return has been endurance. Hains feels he’s getting stronger each time out and has come a long way with the strength of his voice since the first football game in mid-September.
“In the early football season I couldn’t get enough volume on the exciting plays, touchdowns and all,” he said. “It’s a little better now, but I still need to get back in a groove after having not done this for almost two years, to get some of the more descriptive calls rather than just being basic. But I think we’re getting there.”
A few months ago, Hains said a major goal was to call Bears’ games at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in March. Now he’s removed the word “hopes” with “will” for his first road play-by-play set for Arch Madness.
Longer term, he’s aiming to return to calling road football and basketball next season.
“When you’re on the road, on the bus, on the plane or at the hotel, that’s when you develop relationships with folks,” Hains said. “I do miss that. And seeing the other venues around the league.”
Friends, colleagues excited to see him honored
Staying more in the moment, it should be a time of celebration on Saturday when Hains, who has called nearly 3,000 Missouri State events during his career, receives much-deserved recognition.
“Art is an institutional treasure and we're honored and blessed to have him back courtside,” Missouri State Director of Athletics Kyle Moats said. “We're looking forward to recognizing his amazing progress with a fitting tribute.”
Added Keltner: “To be publicly acknowledged, it’s great for everybody. I know Art is excited about it, but I know a lot of the rest of us are as well.”
Art Hains Day ticket specials
Missouri State (6-3) plays host to Sam Houston State (5-4) at 6 p.m. Saturday for Art Hains Day. Tickets are available at the Great Southern Bank Arena box office, with $5 upper-level seats for adults. All children 12 and under are free. Call (417) 836-7678 for more info.
