Voice of the Cyclones, John Holsclaw Sr., dies after battle with cancer
Published 1:52 am Friday, November 30, 2018
- File Photo/Ivan Sanders John Holsclaw Sr., left, is picture with Elizabethton High School athletic director Forrest Holt during halftime of this year's football game between Elizabethton and South Greene at Citizens Bank Stadium.
WBEJ Radio announced on its Facebook Thursday afternoon, that longtime radio announcer and “Voice of the Cyclones”, John Holsclaw Sr., had died after his battle with cancer.
Holsclaw’s death comes after he decided to take a break from radio back in August as he underwent treatment for stage-four colon cancer.
For decades, Holsclaw’s voice could be heard over the airways as he called games for the WBEJ radio station in Elizabethton. Over the years, Holsclaw’s work in radio covering Elizabethton High School athletic would garner him the honor of being called, “The Voice of the Cyclones.”
During the Cyclones football game with South Greene this past season, Elizabethton City Mayor Curt Alexander, along with City Schools Superintendent Corey Gardenhour, recognized Holsclaw during halftime for his many years of service. During his years covering the Cyclones, Holsclaw broadcasted roughly 500 football games and 1200 basketball games including the state basketball run for the Lady Cyclones and his favorite game which was the 2014 Lady Cyclone state championship contest from Murfreesboro.
Holsclaw, a 1959 graduate of EHS, played many sports during his time as a Cyclone. Holsclaw played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track for the Mighty Cyclones as he collected 14 varsity letters. Holsclaw was a member of the 1958 Elizabethton baseball team that made it to the state finals.
In football, Holsclaw would go on to play tailback at the University of Tennessee, before finishing his academic career at ETSU.
In 2016, due to his many decades in sports, Holsclaw was inducted into the Carter County Sports Hall of Fame.
