Bob Johnston in the press box at Wildcat Stadium in 2023. Photo by Kathy Tran.
Bob Johnston is known far and wide as “The Voice of Lake Highlands,” but if you’ve only heard his booming voice over the loudspeaker under Friday Night Lights at Wildcat Stadium, it’s time to spend a few afternoons on the red dirt at The Cat. That’s what players and alums affectionately call the baseball field at Lake Highlands High School.
The Wildcats have enjoyed Johnston’s baseball expertise for decades. Just before next Saturday’s game against Berkner, LHHS will officially dedicate the little hut from which he announces as “The Bob Shack.” Johnston will be there in person to receive the honor, and the entire community is invited to support him, watch the game and enjoy some grilled food and concessions from the Cat Shack.
“We are forever grateful for the gift Bob has given LH Baseball through the years,” says Matt Feldman, LHHS Baseball Parent Advisor. “We’ve been a part of the baseball family since our oldest son, Jack, was a freshman, and we think of Bob as a cornerstone to our game days.”
Johnston began watching his father announce football games when he was 5 years old, and, when he saw that no one was announcing his son’s junior varsity games in 1986, he stepped up to take the mic.
“(The coach) said, ‘Just go up there and start doing it,’ so that’s what started me off,” Johnston told The Advocate last year.
“It is as important to recognize that the visiting parents and fans should feel treated equally as much as do our home fans and parents,” he said, and he abides by that principle whether he’s announcing baseball games, track meets or other athletic activities.
Johnston said he enjoys watching the players progress each year, and he gets a kick out of being recognized while out in the community.
“I will be in the grocery story talking to somebody and they ask, ‘Are you the announcer for the Lake Highlands Wildcats?’ And so I say ‘yes, of course.’”
The game against Berkner is March 23, and the dedication will take place between the JV’s 11 a.m. game and the varsity game at 2 p.m. You’ll find the full season schedule here. Go Cats.
