Bradley loses another Hall of Famer- Frank Bussone

[Da Coach]

Bradley grad and long time TV announcer, and a member of the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame Frank Bussone passed away last night. He was 74. I suspect almost everyone here knew who Frank was. He was a sportscaster for Channel 25 in Peoria starting in the early 1970's and did play by play broadcasts of Bradley games from the 1970s until just a couple years ago. He also was very involved in the IHSA State basketball playoffs and covered the state playoffs in Champaign and Peoria for many years.
I got to know Frank pretty well, and he was a great guy. Frank loved to talk basketball and had an incredible memory for every team, every game, and every player he ever covered.
Condolences to Frank's family and his terrific wife Lisa. He will be greatly missed.

[tornado]

Every schools has a core group of lifelong, dedicated, die-hard fan - supporters & donors who literally have Bradley running thru their veins...


Bradley has more than a lot of schools and Frank was one of those. He will be missed. Can't wait to hear some of the tales Dave Snell will tell in remembrance of Frank.

[Da Coach]

Every schools has a core group of lifelong, dedicated, die-hard fan - supporters & donors who literally have Bradley running thru their veins...


Bradley has more than a lot of schools and Frank was one of those. He will be missed. Can't wait to hear some of the tales Dave Snell will tell in remembrance of Frank.

One story that few will know or remember relates to one of Dave Snell's signature broadcasting terms- Kaboom! Frank Bussone actually coined the term "Kaboom!" very early in his broadcasting career to describe an emphatic dunk, and used the exclamation frequently during his broadcasts of Bradley games throughout the 1970's, several years before Dave got started doing the Bradley games in 1979. Frank had a lot of other exclamations and terms he used, so Kaboom wasn't a signature term for him, so when Dave started using the term, Frank stopped and the rest is history.
Kaboom has since become integrally associated with Bradley basketball, thanks to Dave, and now the Bradley mascot bears the "Kaboom!" name.
I have a lot of old Beta and VHS video tapes of Frank doing Bradley games in the 1970's & 1980's, and I know some of our members also have collections of old TV broadcasts where Frank can be heard using his myriad of unique terms and phrases. He will be missed.

[Chico]

Frank knew I was a Sox fan and he was a Cub fan. He used to do the Sunday Sports on TV. If the Cubs would win, which was seldom, he would say " how about that Pat". Will never forget "they're on their way, they're ready to play".

[TNel]

"Stop and pop..."

[Big Mike]

Sad day.....Frank was a special man.....could talk forever with stories about the Braves and Peoria in general...always interesting!

[DannyCooksey]

Sad news. I recall Mr. Bussone doing the IHSA games at Assembly Hall. Back when I was a kid they were broadcast on WGN. He made it exciting. Sorry to hear the news.

[Da Coach]

For those who are so familiar with Frank Bussone and his legacy in Peoria, here is his obituary that sums up some of his accomplishments-

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?n=frank-j-bussone&pid=184555617