Quayle announces retirement as UVa. football radio analyst

Longtime radio color analyst Frank Quayle announced today the 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl between Virginia and Auburn will be his final game in the radio broadcast booth calling Cavalier football. Quayle is currently in his 29th year as a broadcaster for the Virginia Sports Network.

Quayle’s first season came in 1983, the second year the Cavaliers were under the direction of coach George Welsh. He missed just two games over a span that covered 348 contests.

“I have had a front row seat that has enabled me to enjoy some wonderful eras of Virginia football,” Quayle said. “It has been a great run for me, and I feel so fortunate to have been around this year to see the renaissance of Virginia football under Coach London. A highlight has been sharing my passion for college football, the University of Virginia, and UVa football with Virginia’s wonderful fans across the Commonwealth on Saturdays.”

A native of Garden City, N.Y., Quayle is one of the greatest players in Virginia history. He rushed for 2,695 yards and caught 83 passes for 1,145 yards. He was named ACC Player of the Year and the conference’s overall Athlete of the Year in 1968 after rushing 175 times for 1,213 yards and catching 30 passes for 426 yards. During his three seasons in the Cavalier backfield (1966-68), Virginia went 16-14, including a 7-3 mark in 1968. Quayle’s number 24 is one of UVa’s six retired numbers.

“I cannot begin to say how lucky I feel to have had the opportunity to work with someone who has the knowledge of Virginia football like Frank does,” said Virginia play-by-play announcer Dave Koehn. “When I first arrived at UVa three and half years ago, there was no better resource for me to learn about the history of this great program than someone who has been associated with it in one form or another for the better part of the past 45 years. I know even when he’s done working with me in the booth, both Frank and his wife Peggy are people that I’ll call friends for many years to come.”

Chick-fil-A Bowl coverage on the Virginia Sports Network begins with Cavalier Countdown to Kickoff starting at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 31.