I had known Ron ever since I came to town in 1980. I used to bump into him a lot following the Oilers games. Stoney used to do color commentary when Ron Franklin did the team's play by play on the radio. Dave Ward of Ch-13 ..by the way ... was their stat man. (Also they're poker playing buddy.) Even though I knew Stoney .... and we would make small talk whenever we saw each other ....either on an Oilers trip or around Houston .... I never really got to know him until he came to work with me for Rice University Football and Basketball radio broadcasts.

Ron had just been shown the door by Ch-2 and he liked the way I called games on the radio ...and he wanted to be my color man. I was immediately flattered ....and readily welcomed him into the booth. Before the first game we did together ...we were at the Air Force Academy ... Ron was a nervous as an expectant father. We sat down to eat a pre-game meal in the press box .....and I noticed he wasn't eating much ...when he leaned over and said,"I'm so nervous ...I think I may get sick." He wasn't kidding either. He hadn't called a game in a few years ...and he cared so much about being a professional ....he was nervous ....really nervous. I couldn't believe it ...but here was this man who had done countless live broadcasts on TV and radio .....so concerned about "getting it right" that he had butterflies. That impressed me ...and also scared me. I didn't know what was going to happen once we went on the air. A short while later though we did go on the air ...and when the producer pointed to him ....Ron was magnificent .... waxing poetically about "the young men of the Air Force Academy ....the defenders of our great country ....who train here on the edge of the Rocky Mountains ....today will do battle on the football field with the Rice Owls....and so on and so on ....". I looked around at everyone else in the booth ....and just like that ....he had everyone's attention ...and we all knew we had to step up our games to maintain his level of excellence.

Ron and I didn't work that many seaons together ..... but I'll never forget the experience. His sense of humor was great and his knack for timing was always impeccable. We were at Rice Stadium preparing for a broadcast one football Saturday when an assistant coach from the opposing team, Iowa State, leaned over from his coaching booth to our broadcast booth and said,"Is that right they held a Super Bowl here? Those of us in the booth answered,"Yes." To that the coach said,"Why in the Hell did they hold a Super Bowl here??" Stoney ...who was looking down at his notes deadpanned,"Well, I guess y'all's stadium was booked that day." The flustered assitant coach about fell out of the windown ...and those of us in the broadcast fell out laughing. That was Ron Stone ... just one of the guys .... always ready to talk about your family ....or exchange friendly quips. Oh yeh ....he was also a great broadcaster. Rest in peace Ron ... I hope to see you upstairs.