Posted: Mar 09, 2017
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – For many, Jeff Jacoby was a familiar voice in the Knoxville radio scene, working for the Vol Network from 1985 in various positions, as well as hosting the "Doc, Jeff and Heather in the Morning" show on WNML.
But the longtime radio personality had a battle that he was dealing with behind the scenes – pancreatic cancer.
Jacoby passed away in late December after battling the illness for more than two years.
Now, the Tennessee Tech graduate and former Golden Eagle football player will be honored by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame during its Champion Within luncheon on June 3 with the organization's Courage Award.
Jacoby was born in Toledo, Ohio, before moving to Cincinnati and graduating from Finneytown High School.
Jacoby then came to Cookeville to play football for Coach Don Wade, playing linebacker for the Golden Eagles as he followed his father, George, onto the gridiron. His father was a captain and All-American for the 1953 Ohio State team.
As his student-athlete questionnaire said, when asked who was his biggest influence in the sport, Jacoby said his father, "because I'd do anything for him."
As a member of the Tech football team, he helped lead the Golden Eagles to an Ohio Valley Conference championship in 1975. During that season, Jacoby had 49 solo tackles and 28 assisted for 77 total stops and he also recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown against Middle Tennessee.
As a freshman, Jacoby had 12 solo tackles and four assists, then had 24 solo and 15 assisted tackles in 1974 as a sophomore. During his senior campaign, he recorded 41 solo and 43 assisted tackles, had a pass break-up and also recorded a sack. In all, he recorded 216 tackles as a Golden Eagle.
During his tenure at Tech as an English-Journalism major, Jacoby also worked with the Tech Sports Information office and was the sports director for the campus radio station.
After graduating, Jacoby hosted "The Golden Eagle Football Review" and did play-by-play for Tech football and women's basketball, serving as one of the earliest play-by-play announcers for Golden Eaglette Basketball.
He worked with WHUB as a play-by-play announcer and advertising representative, then was a sports announcer for WCTE and wrote a column, "SportsTalk" for the Herald-Citizen.
Jacoby moved to Knoxville to become an account executive for WMYU radio in the early '80s, then became general sales manager, vice president and general manager before leaving in 1998.
In 1985, Jacoby joined the Vol Network, then he was hired by Cumulus Media in 2000 as a sports reporter and account executive.
Jacoby received numerous awards and accolades, including the Bobby Denton Employee of the Year Award from Cumulus Media in 2015. He was also inducted into the Finneytown Hall of Fame.
In 2014, Jacoby went through the first of four rounds of chemotherapy, but kept friends, family and listeners posted with his progress through social media, especially his Facebook page.
He told the Knoxville News Sentinel in 2014: "The Facebook stuff has been unbelievable. I've got people praying for me from coast to coast."
Jacoby continued his efforts through philanthropy, helping make the annual "Game On Against Cancer" event a success, even long before his own diagnosis.
Jacoby passed away on Christmas Day at the age of 61. He is survived by his wife Sheree, mother Nina, brother Doug, daughters Angie and Kristi, sons Brad and Chase, as well as five grandchildren.
