If it weren’t for World Almanacs and Sports Illustrateds (not the version for kids), or just plain weekend sports on television, I might not have cared about anything more than cartoons as a kid.

I’m not very old, but I was one of those who can remember growing up without cable TV. My grandmother never allowed it.

So, there were no Thursday night college football games that played in the den. Back then, mid-major programs didn’t try to play games in the middle of the week just for air time. The only time I would hear an Arkansas State score was close to the end of a Saturday night newscast after Arkansas took up some 10 minutes of the newscast.

Well, that and if John Saunders announced it during the halftime or postgame show.

It’s funny. The average sports fan doesn’t necessarily watch coverage of sports event to see one broadcaster in particular. But the way the networks have had it, they let their top anchors leave their own mark on how something is broadcast.

In turn, that’s how we remember the anchors.

Think ABC Sports’ college football, and Keith Jackson comes to mind. Verne Lundquist is the voice of CBS’ SEC coverage. Tom Hammond is synonymous with Notre Dame football on NBC and SEC basketball on now-defunct Jefferson-Pilot Sports, the Southeast’s answer to Raycom.

John Saunders? The college football postgame report on ABC.

Of course, that’s not to say, those guys didn’t do it all. They’re just synonymous with something.

During those Saturdays when over-the-air television was otherwise barren with infomercials and “Million Dollar Movies” on the surface, college football was my ticket around the country. Cities like Gainesville, Auburn, East Lansing, South Bend, Palo Alto and Syracuse entered the lexicon.

Saunders’ voice over the highlights was the source for picking my own Heisman Trophy winner. Soon, life was a little more colorful because Saunders added to the pageantry that was … a college football scoreboard show.

Then, he announced basketball games, adding another familiar voice. Never too over-the-top, but never dull, just like another black Canadian named Mark Jones.

You knew then, Saunders had the voice for anything sports.

Finally, living somewhere else as a teen, cable television became a necessity. Dick Schaap ruled over “The Sports Reporters,” and Saunders kept it relevant.

Entering this profession, I could hear analysis from the voices of print reporters. It was pretty relaxing for a Sunday, if not merely a break from rushing to church.

Yet, Saunders’ voice stands out. Still, in my head. Like he spoke an hour ago.

And it has ever since Dan Patrick shared the news in Wednesday’s halftime of U.S. vs. Australia in men’s basketball: Saunders died.

Time to take a seat and arch the eyebrows.

It’s not even right. We’re losing too many calm voices in a noisy world.

And to think, this column might have been about Lilly King’s noise about Justin Gatlin’s past suspension for banned substances. (Keep growing up, Lilly.)

Until the news, the Olympics was a distraction from everything other than football. Saunders’ passing brought me back to Earth, just as his voice did.

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Be reminded, Port Arthur’s Inika McPherson won’t compete in the Olympic high jump until next Thursday.

Qualifying begins at 7:30 a.m. with the final set for 6:30 p.m. the following Saturday.

It’ll be clearer which NBC network carries it the closer we get, but all Olympic events are streamed live on NBCOlympics.com.

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I.C. Murrell can be reached at 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews