Courtesy Minneapolis Star-Tribune

(May 15, 2009) Ray Christensen, who was the radio voice of the University of Minnesota football team for 50 seasons, will be back behind the microphone when the Gophers play their first game in the new TCF Bank Stadium on Sept. 12 against the Air Force Academy.

Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi announced today.that Christensen, who was the primary play-by-play announcer for the Gophers from 1963 to 2001, will call the Gophers' first offensive series of the second half.

"I'm thrilled to be part of this historic evening," Christensen said. "It will be a treat to slip in alongside Darrell Thompson and Dave Mona, with whom I had the privilege to work with in my final three years of play-by-play. I'm sure that one series will bring back scores of memories from my years calling the action for the Gophers."

Christensen called approximately 510 Gopher football games and 1,309 basketball games between 1963 and 2001. He called the last game in the former Memorial Stadium and the team's first game in the Metrodome.

He began his career as a student broadcaster at the University of Minnesota's campus radio station, KUOM in 1951. He was program director and sports director at WLOL before joining WCCO-AM in 1963. Along with calling Gopher football and basketball for WCCO, his duties at the station ranged from news and interviews to fine music. He retired from full-time broadcasting in 1993, but continued to do play-by-play until 2001.

Christensen was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2002.