THE PROFESSOR
MOST will still refer to Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Lampley by his first name, but at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the man who was the voice of HBO Boxing for 30 years now goes by Professor Lampley.
“They’re more to be pitied than blamed, but yes, my students call me Professor Lampley,” he laughs. “My teaching assistant calls me Professor Lampley. I still go by Jim, but it is fun to teach.”
The course Lampley teaches at his alma mater is 'COMM 490, Evolution of Storytelling in American Electronic News Media'. It began during the COVID-19 pandemic, and three semesters later, it is established as a course that will continue long after he decides to walk off into the sunset. Then again, the 73-year-old isn’t the retiring type, even if the favourite of his gigs was taken away from him in December of 2018 when HBO got rid of its boxing program after 45 years.
The loss of the premium cable heavyweight from the boxing landscape shocked those in the fight game
