Tom Larscheid is the former voice and colour commentator for the BC Lions on CKNW. Born on April 6 1940, in Milwaukee, WI, Larscheid was a former running back at Utah State University, earning an All-Amercian nod in 1960. The cut and slash tailback was the nation’s leading rusher that year. In the 1962 NFL Draft, Larscheid was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 18th round (251st overall), but left that same year, moving up to Canada to sign with the BC Lions, an easy move for the kid who grew up in California. He played just two years with the team before knee injuries forced him to retire. It was after his playing career that Larscheid really made his mark on sports in BC.
Starting in 1965, Larscheid asserted himself as the voice of football in the province with CKNW, adding hockey to his resume in 1977 when he joined the iconic Jim Robson for Canucks broadcasts. In 1978, when the Lions broadcast rights moved to CFUN, Larscheid went with them, continuing to bring his unique combination of heart and honesty to CFL fans across BC. In 1984, Jim Cox, Larscheid’s partner for Lions broadcasts retired and J.P. McConnell became the new voice of the Lions. The rights again returned to CKNW, so Larscheid followed and resumed his work with the Canucks. He continued his football commentary, working with the CFL-run Canadian Football network as a colour commentator and sideline reporter and analyst for four Grey Cups. In 1994, Larscheid survived another retiring when Jim Robson called it quits, and he was then paired with Jim Hughson, followed shortly by the recognizable John Shorthouse. Maintaining constant football and hockey commitments had its struggles though as Larscheid was taken off Lions duty in 2000 to focus solely on Canucks broadcasts where he stayed until 2010, calling his final game for BC sports fans in the Canucks 2010-11 season opener against the LA Kings.
