Michigan People: A lifetime behind the mike
By Tom Markowski / The Detroit News
Detroit News Online
February 3, 2007
HIGHLAND PARK — Television captured the imagination of America in
the 1950s, and Greg Byndrian was a willing captive.
He remembers spending weekends in front of the television while
growing up in Highland Park, watching sporting events, enthralled by
the play-by-play.
Long before Byndrian graduated from Henry Ford Elementary to Highland
Park High, he had found a calling.
As a high school freshman in 1959, Byndrian began announcing Highland
Park varsity basketball games on the school’s radio station, WHPR-FM.
In a sense, he has never left.
Throughout high school, college and then as an employee of the school
district, Byndrian continued broadcasting Highland Park games until
the station discontinued athletic broadcasts in 1981.
At that point, he shifted gears and became the public-address
announcer for every home game in football, basketball and, for a
time, wrestling.
"It is in my blood," said Byndrian, 61, a Detroit resident. "I love
doing it because I feel like I’m giving back to Highland Park. I was
given the opportunity to do something so rare."
This is Byndrian’s 48th season as the school’s radio/public-address
announcer, although he said announcing never has been part of his job
as the school district’s public-information officer.
"It was self-imposed," he said.
Doing homework
Byndrian takes tremendous pride in his work. So, he doesn’t just show
up and start talking into a microphone. He arrives early, studies the
rosters and makes sure to learn the proper pronunciation of every
player’s name.
Obviously, Byndrian is a fan. He has an encyclopedic memory of
Highland Park’s athletic history, but he knows the competition —
good and bad — too.
He’s seen some lean years on the football field, although that’s
changed lately with the resurgence of the program.
But it’s on the basketball court where the Polar Bears have gained
their greatest popularity. And Byndrian has been there to tell the
stories, from Bobby Joe Hill (Texas Western) to Terry Duerod
(University of Detroit) to Renardo Brown (West Virginia) to Glynn
Blackwell (Illinois) to Lyman DePriest (Connecticut).
Give him a chance and Byndrian will recite scores, highlights and
circumstances of games from decades ago.
He recalls Hill leading the Polar Bears to a Class A quarterfinal in
1960 and semifinals in ’61. There was the Brown-led ’82 team that was
24-0 before being upset by Harper Woods Bishop Gallagher in the
regional final. And the ’84 Blackwell-led team that lost to Flint
Northwestern in a state semifinal.
But ’75 was Highland Park’s year to shine. Highland Park defeated
Flint Northwestern, 85-76, in the state final at Crisler Arena. But
the game everyone remembers most is the quarterfinal against
previously unbeaten Berkley, led by Bruce Flowers (Notre Dame).
Duerod scored 43, and Highland Park rolled, 84-55.
"It was an epic," Byndrian recalled. "It was a week in Highland Park
like no other. The media built it up all week. It was standing room
only (at Calihan Hall) and there were thousands outside trying to get
a ticket. Duerod went 20-of-27 from the field and he shot from
downtown and uptown."
Byndrian plans to do his job as long as he can.
"What keeps me going is the enthusiasm," he said. "It’s the
student-athlete. It keeps me in touch, keeps me involved."