Backlund's voice booms for Warriors

"Strand for the touchdown."

• Photos

"Olson serving for the Warriors."

"Three-point basket by Stanfield."

"Two-point takedown, Brainerd."

If you've attended a Brainerd High School football, volleyball, basketball or wrestling event in the last three-plus decades you have heard his voice.

John Backlund, public address announcer for the Brainerd Warriors, possesses the distinct, booming, baritone voice that one person calls "the voice of God" because it's so deep and could be considered intimidating.

Backlund, who retired as a junior high math teacher and coach in the Brainerd School District last spring, added Warriors PA duties to his already full slate of activities in the 1970s. At the time he was a junior high assistant wrestling coach.

"We had a junior high match, and whoever was the high school announcer at that time couldn't be there," Backlund said. "So they asked if anybody was willing to do it and I said, 'I'll do it if you need somebody.'

"For wrestling the announcer is the head scorekeeper as well so he keeps everything straight. You pretty much need a wrestling person to do that so in the late '70s I took over (PA at high school meets).

"As people retired, or decided not to do it anymore, I picked up girls' basketball, then boys' basketball."

Backlund announced baseball whenever it didn't conflict with his schedule as freshman baseball coach. This spring he plans to help with freshman baseball only during the preseason. That will free him up to announce baseball and softball full time.

John Backlund

Age: 57.

Residence: Nisswa.

High school: Willmar (1966 graduate).

College: Concordia, Moorhead (1970).

Sports: Football, baseball.

Playing highlight: Center on Concordia football team that finished second in NAIA national tournament.

Family: Wife, Mary, a certified public accountant; son, Justin; foster sons, Sam, David, Ebassa and Elias Berhanu.

Career: Taught junior high math in Brainerd 31 years (1974-2005), taught math at Hector from 1970-73, worked one year for Bongard's Creameries in Bongard, Minn.

Favorite PA announcer: "Former Twins announcer Bob Casey and guys who announce pro events."

Favorite sport to announce: "I don't think I have a favorite. I have them in order because of how I started doing them. I just like sports period."

Retirement: Public address announcer, doorman at Zorbaz Restaurant on Gull Lake, having breakfast with retired friends, doing crossword puzzles, shopping at "men's stores" like Menard's and Fleet Farm.

He coached seventh-grade football all 35 years he taught in Brainerd. Backlund coached freshman baseball about 10 years and seventh-grade wrestling the first half-dozen years or so he was in Brainerd.

"I can't say enough about that," Backlund said of coaching. "Years and years later you have kids walk up to you and say, 'Hi, do you remember me?' From seventh grade on their physical appearance changes a lot so I have no clue who they are until they say who they are."

A few months removed from education, Backlund misses his students and peers.

"It changed a lot, obviously, in all those years," Backlund said of teaching. "You always have the good kids and the not-so-good kids."

Backlund was often the unofficial social chairman of faculty events, whether he was teaching at Washington or Forestview middle schools.

"Let's just say I was involved, whether they liked it or not," he said.

While announcing, coaching and teaching, Backlund was actively involved in raising horses, although he is phasing out of the business and no longer has horses at home.

He has judged harness racing at fairs and other events for about 25 years. He has worked for the U.S. Trotting Association at area fairs and was secretary of the Minnesota branch of that organization. He also helped Canterbury Downs in Shakopee restart its harness racing program after the track was sold.

Backlund and his sister, Jan, competed in harness races beginning in the 1970s, mostly at fairs throughout the Upper Midwest.

"Horses have been in the family since the early 1900s," he said. "Backlund Brothers, my grandpa and his two brothers, had horses as far back as 1913 that we can trace that actually raced."

As if announcing, teaching, coaching and raising horses wasn't enough, about six years ago Backlund added the duties of what he calls "doorman" at Zorbaz Restaurant on Gull Lake. He mans a door two nights a week during the winter, three nights a week during the summer and on special occasions like holidays.

"You meet some interesting people," he said. "A lot of my former students show up. Children of relatives that don't know I work there show up and think they're out of town."

Despite his involvement in so many activities Backlund and his wife, Mary, raised one son, Justin, now working near San Diego, and four foster sons from Ethiopia. A foster son, and sometimes two, have lived with the Backlunds since 1991.

Has the foster parent program been rewarding?

"Absolutely," Backlund said. "Obviously, it's challenging. It's something people need to look into before doing it. It makes you appreciate people who do things like Kinship. It's been great for us."

So has his announcing for the Warriors.

MIKE BIALKA can be reached at mike.bialka@brainerddispatch.com or at 855-5861.