Denny Matthews remembers the first time he picked up a microphone.

"I got down to WJBC and there were 5 or 6 of us from Central Catholic High School and we were big into radio. One guy did news, one guy did weather and one guy did sports. They put it on tape and they played it two nights later. And I remember being at home and listening to it. I was so nervous about listening to that little 5-minute sportscast that I got sick. I was sick to my stomach afterwards."

The kid from Central Catholic must have sounded better than the thought because he parlayed his passion for sports into a Hall of Fame broadcasting career. In July, after 39 years as the voice of the Kansas City Royals, Matthews’ voice cracked as he was inducted at Cooperstown.

"Cal Ripken and I were talking about it the night before and I said, ‘When do we start getting nervous about our speeches?’ And he said, ‘Now.’ He said, ‘I’ve got 2 or 3 spots in my speech where I know I’m going to have to back off and regroup.’ And I said, ‘There are a couple in mine too.’ And then he said, ‘ If we’re not going to be emotional, if we’re not going to be excited, there’s no reason to go up there.’ And I thought it was a pretty good point."

The Wesleyan grad is an icon in Kansas City. But while that town holds his legacy, Bloomington will always be home.

"I always try to come back at homecoming. I can see a lot of friends, guys I played football and baseball with. That’s always a kick. And some of them were there at Cooperstown and that really touched me."