He was the closest thing there is to the voice of God for three generations of Oregon State football and basketball fans.

The booming baritone of OSU public address announcer Ted Carlson introduced starting lineups, discerned down and distance, updated out-of-town scores, chided rambunctious students, greeted the pep and marching bands, and served as a paragon of continuity through five decades of change in Beavers athletics.

That distinctive voice was stilled this past Thursday when Carlson died unexpectedly of a sudden illness related to an ulcer. He was 84.

“It always felt like home,” said OSU football coach Mike Riley in describing Carlson’s voice, which he first heard in 1965 upon moving to Corvallis when his father, Bud, was hired as OSU’s defensive coordinator. “I loved that tradition, and Ted Carlson was a big part of it for those of us who love Oregon State.

“When guys are around as long as Ted was, their style comes across, and that’s a special thing. I didn’t even think about Ted still doing the PA” when he returned to OSU in 1997 in his first stint as head coach, “because I thought he should always be part of the landscape.”

A Corvallis native who attended OSU before being drafted in World War II, Carlson was working at KFLY radio as a disc jockey and sportscaster when he started with the Beavers in the late 1940s.

The football team played at old Bell Field, the basketball team in the men’s gym at Langton Hall, and he followed both programs down the hill to Parker/Reser Stadium and to Gill Coliseum. Carlson missed only two games throughout his lengthy career: once because of a blizzard during the Far West Classic, and once because his wife, Ann, was ill.

“It was everything to him. He absolutely loved every minute of it,” one of his two daughters, Joni Ruff of Portland, said Tuesday in recalling her father’s devotion to Beavers athletics. “It was one of the highlights of his life. He loved it there.

“He loved sports, he loved the atmosphere of being there and being part of the game. I can’t really describe it but it meant so much to him. It wasn’t work, it was just a joy and it’s a real fond memory of him for me.

“We came down all the time for the games. It’s been part of my whole life.”

Carlson retired — not by choice — in 1998 and was succeeded by current PA announcer Mike Stone of Portland. Carlson suffered from Parkinson’s disease and his health subsequently deteriorated, but he continued to attend OSU events whenever possible.

“It was a big void for him when it was over, he missed it terribly,” Ruff said. “We did go to a baseball game this past May,” where Carlson received a warm ovation when his presence was pointed out to the Goss Stadium crowd.

Stone said Tuesday he was anxious about following a legend. Carlson’s traditional style was extremely popular with a fan base not accustomed to the hip-hop music and other sound effects used in this era to jazz up in-game production.

“Nervous as heck!” Stone said. “Ted was the epitome of consistency, and, like Keith Jackson, a master of understatement. Ted was the calming influence, the tones of confidence, and the professionalism that Beaver fans trusted.

“He was a true icon in the Pac-10. He was extremely popular. Oregon State fans trusted Ted, and he didn’t disappoint them.

“He never tried to dominate the action. He let the game speak for itself while he accented the event with his smooth tones.”

Veteran Oregon PA announcer Don Essig of Eugene was one of Carlson’s football spotters for several seasons after graduating from OSU.

“Ted was a great influence on me,” Essig said Tuesday. “He was a class act, and he’s the one who influenced me a lot.

“Ted showed me that the PA is the information source for the fans, not a cheerleader, and I’ve pretty much followed that rule for 39 years here” with the Ducks.

Joni Ruff shared her father’s passion for the Beavers and attended OSU from 1973-77. Their mutual love of sports made them extremely close and they continued to watch games together for the rest of her father’s life.

“I always sat next to him on Dad’s Weekend when he was announcing,” she said. “That was always a special weekend for us.

“It was just a pleasure for him to do it. He loved being with all the people, it was the love of his life as far as a job goes. Our weekends consisted of Oregon State when there was a home game. It was just a normal thing for us.”

Carlson also did the PA for Willamette University and Sprague High School, and simulcast for the old Salem Senators minor league baseball team.

Carlson’s family will celebrate his life on Thursday with a 3 p.m. gathering at Rudy’s restaurant, located at the McNary Golf Club, 165 McNary Estates Drive North, in Keizer. Former OSU basketball player Gary Allen will be the guest speaker.

Donations in his name may be made to OHSU Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Mail Stop 45, Box 4000, Portland, OR 97208.