CLASS OF 2012
Mark Ahmann loved sports. He got as far as a spot with the New York Yankees farm club in McAlester, Oklahoma in 1953, but soon returned home following an injury. After a stint in the service, he decided if he couldn’t be a world-class athlete, he could certainly be a world-class sports announcer.
After graduating from the Brown Institute for Radio and Television in Minnesota, native Iowan Mark Ahmann broke into radio at KCIM, a little station in Carroll in 1956. On his first night there, he did the play-by-play for a Carroll high school football game.
Ahmann moved to television in 1959 as Sports Director for KTIV in Sioux City. In 1963, he moved to Michigan as Sports Director for WJIM Radio and TV in Lansing. After several years Ahmann was back in Sioux City at KMEG-TV as its first program director when the station went on the air in 1967.
Ahmann then moved from KMEG to its sister stations, Lincoln/Grand Island’s KOLN/KGIN. Ahmann worked for nine years in Lincoln covering Cornhusker football. He also hosted the Tom Osborne Show for several years.
Throughout his radio/tv career, high school sports always got first-class treatment. Mark was the primary face and voice of Nebraska high school sports while hosting KOLN/KGIN’s Friday Night Sports Roundup from 1972-1980. His legendary sign-off: “Have a good day the rest of this one, a good tomorrow, and take care of yourself, won’t you?” became well-known in the Midwest.
Ahmann returned to Sioux City for two years in 1984 before returning to his first love of radio. He moved to KTCH Radio in Wayne and was there from 1986 till he retired in 1997. Besides serving as station manager, Ahmann called the Wayne State football and basketball games on KTCH.
In 2007, Ahmann was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame. Following retirement, Ahmann didn’t golf or fish but continued doing what he loved. He still covered the Wayne State games and continued hosting his one-hour radio show each morning on KTCH.
Mark passed away on April 14, 2016.
