Mike Mahnke: 33 Years (and Going) as the Voice of Camp Randall and the Kohl Center

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Oates is on assignment, so Lucas brings in a new co-host for the week: Mike Mahnke! If you don’t know his name, you certainly know his voice if you’ve been to a Badger Football or Basketball game in recent decades. Mike has been the PA announcer for Camp Randall and the Kohl Center since the early 90s, and he has no intention of stopping. After taking over the role after the passing of Jack Rein, his first called football game was a nationally televised game against Colorado. Sure, the Badgers got their butts beat and the game took place on the due date for his second child (his wife was in the audience, at least it’s close to Meriter hospital), but since then Mike has been the voice of Camp Randall and the Kohl Center.

Mike grew up in Racine, and after graduating high school in 1977 started a career with the Army. After a few years overseas in Germany, he came home and started his college career at UW Madison, graduating with degrees in Theater and German Literature. While he came from a family of educators, his heart was initially set on either TV or radio, though he realized that that was not meant to be. He got a job in marketing in Madison after one semester of grad school, and works with clients both locally and nationally. While working at a firm he also began calling women’s basketball games, and eventually became the voice we know today.

Maybe his most infamous calls came just a few years into his career when he gave a personalized spin to calling the runs of Ron Dayne (or as he would say, Roooooooonnnnn Daaayyyynnneee). Mike says he didn’t even know that the fans would repeat it back to him, but later they would ask him to emulate his calls for answering machines and even wedding ceremonies. Mike was a fan of football, so he says it’s only natural that he would put a little excitement into the plays of such a great player. Years later, Mike says Dayne thanked him for giving him a little extra love on the field.

Mike gives his thoughts on the differences between calling games at the Kohl Center versus Camp Randall. For one, he gets to sit right on the floor at the Kohl Center, instead of his little booth at Camp Randall. Sitting on the floor not only gives him a close-up view of the game, but it allows him to better feel out the fans, and lets him act as cheerleader to help rally the team. The energy is completely different, he says, with the intimate environment of the Kohl Center helping to fuel his calls. But whether he’s calling basketball games, football games, or even the occasional volleyball matches, he says he isn’t going anywhere. Even if Greg Gard continues to scout in Europe and brings in more players with difficult-to-pronounce names. 

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

A weekly podcast with insights and analysis on the Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks from two of Wisconsin’s most experienced sports journalists. Mike Lucas is a veteran sports columnist for the Cap Times and was a Badgers radio color commentator for over 25 years. Tom Oates was a sports reporter and columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal for 40 years.