Weekend sports roundup: A broadcasting legend passes, state prep swimming and track national titles

From the Rockmonster blog this morning:

I was saddened to see Jay Monsen, the BYU broadcasting pioneer, passed away on Sunday at 79.

For those too young to know this name, Jay did radio and TV broadcasts of BYU sports for decades. Later he served in the school’s electronic media relations department.

Back in the years when I was a new college football beat writer, I knew him fairly well. I went on numerous road trips and attended a lot of football and basketball luncheons with him. He was a gentleman, the kind of friendly, professional, non-judgmental person that represented the university well.

From BYU broadcasting pioneer admires BYUtv's progress, by Dick Harmon

He bought his family homestead in Mt. Pleasant and now dutifully tends his grandchildren, but back in the day, Jay Monsen broke a lot of ground as a sportscaster in Utah and was a real pioneer in the realm of TV and radio.

The West Coast Conference announced Friday that BYUtv will air eight games in the league's men's and women's tournament in Las Vegas next week. Monsen, now 78, is amazed and impressed at the exposure BYU sports are getting on ESPN and especially BYUtv. More than 40 years ago, he helped assemble a few bricks that became the foundation of the high-tech machinery seen today.

Mikel Minor, who just left ESPN in Bristol, Conn., to return to BYUtv this year as senior coordinating producer, was a producer with Monsen when KBYU-TV began broadcasting sports. The BYU alumnus also kicked off the Blue and White Network.

Continue reading about Jay Monsen

Up next: Brighton Bengals sweep 5A swimming championships.