One Breath Removed from Eternity: Remembering Rod Bramblett

“Everyone you will ever meet is just one breath removed from eternity.” That was what my dad’s high school guidance counselor always said and early Saturday evening it resonated with us all. Today, we are remembering Rod Bramblett.

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I was at the pool celebrating Memorial Day when my phone rang around 8:00 in the evening, “Boosky I need to tell you before you look at Twitter, I think Rod’s dead.” I went numb and had to remove myself from my friends as I felt my gut launch into a tailspin. Like many others I refused to believe it. I spent the next two and a half hours anguishing as more and more details leaked. When the news was confirmed the wave of grief that struck Auburn fans felt like the weight of the Haley Center collapsing upon us all.

On June 23, 2003 Rod Bramblett had extremely big shoes to fill when he was chosen to succeed the late Jim Fyffe as Auburn’s lead announcer for football and basketball, but he rose to the occasion. I was nine years old when Bramblett was chosen as the lead announcer and I was only six months removed from nearly losing my father to cardiac arrest during a thymectomy for myasthenia gravis.

I grew up never taking a moment for granted with my father. He is a proud Auburn man from the class of ’74 and as a little girl I jumped at any chance to travel to Auburn games with him. I also lived for watching and listening to Auburn games with him. We listened to the Auburn ISP Sports Network as we burned the 200 miles of road that separated Huntsville from the loveliest village.

I remember being ten years old and sitting in traffic coming into Auburn out of Montgomery. We were listening to the pregame show in the car and I was counting how many Arkansas cars I could see. “Rod thinks Cadillac’s gonna run like crazy on the Razorbacks this afternoon,” my dad told me. Cadillac did indeed run like crazy on the hogs that afternoon. As I grew older and became more aware of Auburn sports I would even make my dad turn on the Auburn sports network as he would take me to and from dance practice.

I lived for Rod Bramblett’s commentary. I struggle with extreme ADHD and have a very difficult time listening to audio commentary for long periods of time, but not when it came to Rod. To me Rod Bramblett’s voice on the radio was like getting a visit from a best friend that you could listen and talk to for hours. He could make every game and every moment come alive, it even felt like he was right there with you.

I get starstruck extremely easily, but eventually worked up the courage to say a few words to Rod during an Auburn basketball game in 2014. I noticed during TV timeouts when he took his headset off that students and various others would approach him and he seemed so friendly so when the moment came I stopped in a line behind the various others who stood aside behind the media booth awaiting their turns. “Hi! How are you?” he said before I could say anything. I was almost speechless, he was so cool. “I’m great! I’m Shea and I just wanted to say I’ve listened to you for years, you’re amazing.” He patted me on the shoulder and thanked me for both the compliment and stopping by to talk to him.

As if it wasn’t already easy to tell how much Rod loved Auburn from the ‘Kick Six’ ringtone that I’d had on my phone for the previous year, I could definitely tell in that moment. He cared about everybody at Auburn and he loved them because of how much he loved Auburn.

In December I received media credentials for the first time covering the Music City Bowl. I stood in line to get a refill of my drink and saw Rod grabbing a plate. I couldn’t believe that I’d worked my way up to covering the same game as one of the very heroes who helped influence my passion of sports writing. On the way back to the press box I said to him in passing, “hi Rod!” to which he responded with “hey it’s good to see ya!” I kept it short thinking that as I continued to write and cover Auburn sports that I would one day have the opportunity to work with him. That was my goal, but the lord had other plans.

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If I’d had the opportunity to work with Rod I’d tell him how much I appreciated listening to his broadcast with my father and that I will forever cherish those moments with my dad. I’d tell him that the passion he has for sports encouraged me to pick up a pen and begin writing because I too would like to paint pictures with words. I’d tell him that sometimes when I do read-alouds for my fourth graders I put on my best Rod Bramblett impression because I know how hard it is to learn with ADHD, but with the right voice it can be easier. I’d tell him that the people of Auburn loved him because we knew he loved us.

I’d tell him if I could, but I cannot. I should have told him when each opportunity presented itself, after all, everybody you will ever meet is just one breath removed from eternity. Life is unpredictable.

At around 6:00 Saturday evening Rod and Paula Bramblett were sitting at a red light and then they were gone. There was no time to say goodbye in this unpredictable game we call life. It’s unfair. Two children lost their mother and father, Auburn lost its voice, and the entire sports world lost a legend. Rod Bramblett’s voice defined an entire Auburn generation. Nobody is ready to hear an Auburn broadcast without Rod because its impossible to imagine an Auburn without him.

Keep the Bramblett family as well as everyone involved in this horrible tragedy in your thoughts and prayers. Hug your loved ones closer and cherish every moment you have with those around you.