KU football finds new voice

David Lawrence, d'83, will move from the sideline to the radio booth next fall. Officials from Kansas Athletics and ESPN Plus announced his new position as an analyst on radio broadcasts of KU football games. Moving into the sideline spot will be Nate Bukaty, j'98.  Officials also reported that he would succeed Lawrence as a reporter and host of the "Crimson & Blue Line" football pre-game show. Both moves follow the retirement of Max Falkenstien, c'50, after 60 years of broadcasting Jayhawk games.

"No one can replace Max," said KU Athletics Director Lew Perkins, "but in David and Nate, we have two experienced professionals who know our program and who will contribute color and insight into our football broadcasts."

For the past 12 years, Lawrence has hosted the "Crimson & Blue Line" show and handled sideline-reporting duties on the Jayhawk Radio Network. He knows KU football inside out. As a tight end and offensive guard at KU, Lawrence lettered all four years, served as team captain, won Offensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-Big Eight in 1981. Under coaches Don Fambrough, d'48, and Mike Gottfried, he coached as a graduate assistant. Since 1985, he has taught health at South Junior High School in Lawrence, where he also was head football coach for 17 years.

Lawrence worked as a color analyst on the KU football radio broadcasts in 1982 and as a TV analyst for KU football telecasts on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 from 1988 to 1994. He also has hosted the pre-game "Crimson & Blue Line" and the post-game "Jayhawk Locker Room" shows for KU men's basketball.

A fourth-generation KU alumnus, Bukaty earned a degree in broadcast journalism in 1998. For the past five years, he announced the Jayhawk Radio Network play-by-play for KU women's basketball, and hosted Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson's "Hawk Talk" radio call-in show. Bukaty has also worked in radio and television in Kansas City for the last seven years, where his current responsibilities include pre-game and post-game coverage of the Kansas City Royals.

"David and Nate are longtime members of the KU family," said Angela Haar, ESPN Plus general manager. "David brings to the analyst microphone his experience of being a former player and coach. He is close to the football program and listeners will certainly benefit from his analysis."

Officials said the radio analyst for men's basketball has not yet been determined. The Jayhawk Radio Network is operated by ESPN Plus through rights granted by Kansas Athletics.