LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Greg Sharpe, the play-by-play voice for Nebraska football since 2007, has died after a fight with cancer, his family announced through the school Saturday. He was 61.

Sharpe died Friday, 10 months after he announced he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was able to work several games last season.

“While his passion and energy on the call of Husker football and baseball brought joy to so many for the past 17 seasons, it comforts us to know that his legacy will live on through these same moments that he narrated and through the relationships that he built,” his family’s statement said. “While the public knew him for his booming voice and infectious personality, those closest to him knew him for his loyalty and dedication to them.”

Sharpe grew up in Olathe, Kansas, attended Kansas State and was the voice of K-State football and basketball from 1996-2002.

Nebraska hired him to call the last three football games of the 2007 season and made him the permanent announcer the next year.

The National Sports Media Association in December named him Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year, and last month the athletic department named his pressbox workspace the “Greg Sharpe Radio Booth.”

“This is a tough day for everyone,” athletic director Troy Dannen said. “Not only those who were close to Greg and those who had the opportunity to work with him, but also for Husker fans who have fond memories of Greg’s calls of iconic moments in Nebraska history.

“Greg was an incredible person and was a friend to everyone. Simply put, he defined what it meant to be a Husker, and he will always be a Husker.”

Sharpe is survived by his wife, Amy, and daughters Emily, Campbell and Taylor.

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