Famous sports announcer Michael Buffer provided our team introductions at Countdown to Craziness and his recordings will be used to introduce our starters throughout the year in Cameron.  Buffer, best known for his “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” tagline, has introduced major boxing and wrestling matches, the World Series, NBA Finals, MLB All-Star Game, movie premiers, video games, ESPN Jock Jams, and more.  We caught up with the Philadelphia native to discuss his career path, Duke Basketball, his favorite sports venues and more.

What was your career path?  How did you end up as a famous sports announcer?

It started 27 or 28 years ago when I was watching fights on TV with my kids.   The ring announcer gave the decision in a way that took the drama out of the final announcement of the winner.  My oldest son said, “Dad, you can do that.”  As fight fans for many years, we thought that would be a great way to have some fun and see the fights at the same time.  Living in Philadelphia back then, they had a lot of fights in Atlantic City.  ABC and NBC used to go down there on Saturdays and they would have all these fights.   So I got my foot in the door and a lot of fights were on ESPN and the power of television helped launch everything that you see today.

You have been a part of so many great events.  Do any one or two stand out?

Well, there was a great fight in 1989 between Iran Barkley and Roberto Duran.   Duran of course is in the Hall of Fame, and Barkley will probably end up there as a three-time world champion.  It was really towards the later part of Duran’s career and he was a challenger for the middleweight title that Barkley had somehow captured from the great Tommy Hearns.  It was in Atlantic City with 18 inches of snow outside, a blizzard, the island had actually been cut off and yet the fans were actually hanging from the ceiling, they fought their way to get there.  It was just one of those great, great fights to sit at ringside.   It really sticks out in my mind as an all-time favorite fight.  A great moment was when George Foreman, in his comeback, recaptured the heavyweight title at the age of 44 when he knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round after losing every round before that.  He was a sure decision loser and came up with a four-punch combination and became heavyweight champ.   It was 1-2-3-4… BOOM… A pretty spectacular moment.

How about two favorite venues you have worked?

I have to say Madison Square Garden when it’s sold out for a big fight.  Usually of course you have big names involved, it’s just packed to the rafters, and very exciting.   And I work in Europe a lot and just recently we had a fight in an indoor soccer stadium in Germany where they had 60,000 fans.  It was pretty spectacular.

What was your reaction when you heard Duke Basketball was interested? Are you a college hoops fan at all?

I like college sports.  I am a big NFL and Major League Baseball fan but there is something so compelling about college sports, especially basketball and NCAA football.   Living in Los Angeles I am a USC fan.  I have a friend who kind of got me hooked on Wisconsin and I follow the Badgers.  I see in December that the Blue Devils are at Madison so that’s going to be a lot of fun.  I’ll get to rag on him a little bit December 2nd when Duke goes into Madison.   It is always fun to follow the major schools.  Then, as the season goes along, it’s almost trite to say “March Madness” but it truly is a time of year where college basketball completely dominates the sports scene for an entire month.

“Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” has become a part of sports events, video games, movies, boxing matches, songs, TV shows and more.   How did you come up with that back in the day?  And did you ever think it would blow up globally like it has?

I never thought it would explore the way it has.   Years ago there were a lot of fights on TV.  Ring announcers started to introduce everybody on the commission.   It kind of got of out hand and I remember one fight where I actually introduced 19 people before the fight.  You don’t go to a game in Durham and have the entire Dean’s List introduced before a basketball game… Or the entire NFL commission introduced before a football game or the Super Bowl.  It just became crazy.   You have all the excitement and energy of two fighters coming to the ring to their music.   Whether it is Larry Holmes or Evander Holyfield or Mike Tyson or Marvelous Marvin Hagler, the crowd is crazy, they are excited.  You hear the ring announcer, basically just a PA announcer, take all the wind out of the room by introducing all the commissioners and supervisors and doctors and judges and sponsors and promoters.   I wanted something that would be a hook, that would bring the crowd back to that level of excitement it had before all the introductions.  When you go to the Indy 500 there is nothing more exciting than hearing “Gentleman start your engines.”   I wanted something that was going to do the same thing so I came up with “let’s get ready to rumble.” Of course I tried a few clunkers like “man your battle stations” and “ladies and gentleman fasten your seat belts.”   They fell flat on their faces and I kind of liked the way “let’s get ready to rumble” sounded.  I stayed with it.  It wasn’t some kind of instant hit.  I stayed with It, had a few pointers here and there as to how to perfect it and make it a little more exciting from friends who were old-timers in show business.  It evolved through the years to what you have today.

Where did you give the first “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” in a public setting?

I really don’t remember exactly. I know it was at Resorts International Hotel Casino in Atlantic City and I think it may have been around 1983 maybe as late as ‘84.

What is the most unusual or interesting event you have been asked to introduce?

Well, it’s kind of crazy.   I’ve been hired to do bar mitzvahs, birthdays and wedding receptions by people that are hardcore fight fans and want to do something special for their kids.  Pretty unusual, but they seem to be willing to get me on an airplane and pay my fee, and work is work!  But I have been lucky, I have done the World Series a few times, NBA playoff games and the NBA finals, the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs and finals, the home run derbies before the All-Star Game and the All-Star Game introductions, just a lot of really super events, movie premiers… Just a lot of different crazy, fun and very exciting things.

How does having your voice introduce Duke games in Cameron compare to some of the other great sporting opportunities you have had?

Cameron absolutely ranks right up there.  The word fan comes from fanatic and fanaticism, and I think the Duke Blue Devil fans really represent that word as much or more than anyone.  That’s what makes a venue really exciting — the level of energy and excitement and what they add to the team when it’s on the court.   That’s really what that arena represents.  Whether it is someone watching it on TV who lives in Oregon or Canada or wherever, they can literally feel what is happening.  I think that’s what makes college basketball so exciting all around the country…

I was just looking at the Duke schedule recently. So many of the games are on ESPN, CBS and on national TV because Duke is just one of the most famous national teams there is.  I am looking forward to working my TIVO and DVR and making sure I don’t miss too many Duke games.   I am also keeping my fingers crossed that there is no big fight on Saturday, March 6th so that I will be able to come in and do the introductions live for the game of the year (Duke vs. UNC)!”