EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Indiana University is about to receive an unprecedented donation to its media school — a collection of tens of thousands of audio and video sports broadcasts, spanning nearly a century.
The unique archive is impressive in and of itself. But the man behind it is just as special: 93-year-old John Miley, who wanted to make sure his collection found a permanent home and a lasting legacy.
Walk into Miley’s house in a small Evansville neighborhood of retirees, and you’ll notice right away, these folks like to collect treasures. Miley’s wife has a beautiful collection of dolls and an intricate dollhouse filled with miniatures she’s made herself. She said she dove into her hobby as a way to match her husband’s.
Well it’s tough to match.
John Miley’s space fills the garage and home office.
And for any sports fan, it is almost hard to fathom: row upon row of metal drawers line the walls, meticulously labeled, all containing recordings of sports play-by-play. Miley’s walker just fits as he moves through the space, proudly sharing the highlights — many committed to memory. Give him a game and he’ll tell you the details. Want a listen? Open the archive.
“Just open several of those drawers and you'll see what I'm talking about,” Miley told 13News, a twinkle in his eye.
Name a memorable moment in sports, and Miley's got it: classic calls, thrilling wins, historic games that still bring chills.
The Miley collection
He has them all, from the Giants winning the pennant and the “shot heard ‘round the world” to Kentucky Derbies, Indy 500s, every single Super Bowl — and Bill Stern (Miley’s favorite announcer) calling iconic football games.
When a great broadcaster and a great game meet, it’s magic.
And Miley has a ton of magic.
"That deal right there was worthwhile with that game,” Miley said of a Stern broadcast. “I wouldn't have given that game up for nothing, just for that one moment. You're at the stadium! You don't have to go to the game, you're there! Boy I've got so many memories like that.”
The legendary voices from the past are preserved right inside Miley's garage, from Vin Scully and Harry Caray to Mel Allen and Red Barber.
Miley has 44,000 pieces of audio and video dating back to the 1930s.
The Miley Collection includes nearly a century of sound, all catalogued on his home computer. Soon, it will become a permanent part of Indiana University. Miley is donating his life's work to the sports journalism center at the IU Media School. The university plans to digitize the entire archive as a resource for students, faculty and researchers.
"Because I want to have a home for it that will treat it the way I think that it should be treated,” Miley said.
A home just as passionate as his about play-by-play broadcasts.
Miley moved to Indiana from the California coast at the age of 10. He started collecting sports broadcasts as a high school kid in 1947. He asked his dad for a wire recorder to pair with his radio.
“And he said yes! Went down to Sears and Roebuck and it cost $160,” Miley said.
At age 93, he's still at it. Still records games every night. Only great ones make the cut.
“I keep about one out of every 20 I record,” Miley explained.
Including the rarest of the rare, which are specially marked with a red dot on the CD or DVD.
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Miley has had help
He developed a team of fellow tapers across the country, recording and sending him games, after a newspaper article about his hobby in the late 1970s.
He's even bartered and traded highlights with the networks. They’d call him up sometimes if they wanted a particular piece of audio or video for a broadcast of their own.
"When you see Nolan Ryan's first strikeout, you can almost be assured that was from my collection,” Miley said.
Along the way, he also became good buddies with Bob Costas, a fellow St. Louis Cardinals fan. He asked both Costas and IU alum Mark Cuban for their opinions when deciding to donate his collection to Indiana University. Both gave their blessing.
The collection has so many memorable moments, it’s hard to pin down the best or the most exciting. But Miley does have a favorite broadcast.
"if I had to name a favorite game, it would be the Cal-Stanford game of 1982,” Miley said. “John Elway was playing for Stanford at the time and he drove Stanford down the field from the 10-yard line to kick what looked like the winning field goal. Seconds to go, announcer Joe Starkey says, 'It's gonna take a near miracle to win this one.' The Stanford band was so sure they won the game, they were on the field. There were six laterals on the play! California announcer went absolutely berserk! How could it more thrilling!? How could it be more thrilling?”
After a lifetime of thrills, John Miley said he could have made a lot of money selling his collection.
Instead, he chose to give — to students at IU.
"It needs to live past me,” he said. “They'll be able to access every bit of what I have. If they wanted to see what an announcer sounded like, if they wanted to see what a game sounded like, they’ll be able to do that.”
It is a treasure trove of sound and sport, meant to inspire the next generation of broadcast legends.
The Miley Collection will be officially donated and celebrated on Monday, Sept. 16th at IU. Miley will be there to speak at the ceremony. Digitizing the archive is expected to take several years.