Well, perhaps, to outsiders. Primarily a baseball play-by-play announcer and color analyst for football and basketball since he was hired at MSU in 1978, Ellis got the call last week some friends joked that he would never get.

Ellis will replace the legendary Jack Cristil, who retired in February after 58 years behind the mic.

"I've been picking at Jim the last few years," said David Kellum, close friend and play-by-play man at Ole Miss. "You're going to retire before Jack."

Ellis, 63, is synonymous with MSU baseball. Starting in the fall, he'll also be the voice of football and basketball.

It's a dream job for the MSU graduate, who was born in Indianola, lives in West Point and, save for a three-year stint in Dallas, has always called Mississippi home.

The ties are so strong that Ellis remained Cristil's sidekick even when other Southeastern Conference schools showed interest in him becoming their play-by-plan man over the last 20 years.

"I had two SEC programs at some point call me about a job, but I'm going to tell you what happened with me: At the time I was probably, age-wise, in my prime," Ellis said. "I had gone through a divorce, I had three children, I remarried and family was really important to me. It just wasn't a good time for me to make a move, and when I got past that, I just decided I was going to stay here and see what happens."

And it's worked out for Ellis, who appears younger than his age, staying fit by running some 30 miles per week - even outdoing State athletic director Scott Stricklin, also an avid runner. So, it's easy to see why this move seems fresh and yet familiar. The decision to name Ellis the voice of the Bulldogs "just made sense," Stricklin said.

"No question about it," said Cristil, who left State over health concerns. "Jim has paid his dues over the years. I never really asked him if he wanted the job, but obviously he did and accepted. I don't think there's any question that the university made an excellent choice."

After 32 years alongside Cristil, Ellis says he hopes to stay on board for at least another four or five years as the voice of the Bulldogs.

One thing you won't hear from Ellis is Cristil's classic, "Wrap it in Maroon and White," close to MSU victories.

"There's no need in me trying to be him," Ellis said.

Ellis hopes to lend his own signature to the broadcasts. He'd also rather something happen spontaneously, much like his call of Burke Masters' grand slam against Florida State in the 1990 NCAA South Regional in Starkville, one of the classic calls in school history - "It is gone! It is gone! A grand slam for Masters! A grand slam for Masters!"

But that's exactly what makes Ellis and Cristil so much alike. They're fair, smooth and rarely excitable. Well, save for those magical moments, like that call, which "may just be the greatest moment in our athletic program's history," Stricklin said.

But Ellis is still a critic. "In fact, when I heard it, I thought, 'Oh, I can't believe I did that,'" Ellis said of his call of Masters' game-winner.

Football broadcasts in the fall will feature more analysis and a "team" approach, Ellis said. Former State quarterback Matt Wyatt will join him in the booth to provide color analysis and an in-depth critique of the game.

One thing that won't change will be the countless hours Ellis burns researching teams. He jokes that he makes MSU staff members crazy with a deluge of questions, but it's proven fruitful over the years. Ellis "has as a retentive of a memory as any person I've ever met," Cristil said.

It proved true on the radio and during the hundreds of bus rides with the baseball team, which has reached the College World Series seven times with Ellis manning the mic.

"I taught him a lot about the intricacies of the game," former State baseball coach Ron Polk said. "Every once in a while he would second guess me like everybody does, but I can handle that. I'm a big boy."

The last two weeks have been very emotional for Ellis. While many assumed he would be the new voice of the Bulldogs, he knew anything was possible.

"I knew it wasn't guaranteed but I had hoped that I had built enough equity," he said.

The week prior to the announcement, his mother died at the age of 90.

His father, a former dairy farmer and mail carrier, died four years ago at the age of 94. He wasn't the biggest sports fan, but father and son would always call to talk about that day's broadcast. Ellis said his biggest regret is that his father will never hear him call an MSU football game.

"That got to be sort of a ritual, and even after he died, sometimes I really wished I could call my dad and talk to him about this game," Ellis said. "And he would have really been proud. He knew that's what I wanted to do eventually."

Thirty-two years into his tenure at State, he'll finally get his shot.