Friday, April 3, Jack Healey hosted his last morning radio show at WSYB in Rutland.

“When I think about the Big Three, I’m not talking about Bird, McHale and Parish. I’m talking about Jack Healey, Tony Adams and Johnny Most, my three favorites,” a caller said.

“Thank you!” Healey responded. “I am humbled to be mentioned in the company with those guys, for sure.”

“He’s been a mentor for everyone that he has met and his dedication and his love of radio is just amazing to me,” said Judy Anderson, the program director for WSYB.

The 20-time Vermont Sportscaster of the Year and inductee in both the Vermont Association of Broadcasters and Vermont Principals’ Association halls of fame has been a part of Vermont radio since 1971.

“He was the voice of Rutland sports and I was kind of the voice of Chittenden County sports,” said George Commo of NSN. “His teams seemed to win more often than mine, which drove me a little crazy.”

And for decades, listeners got to spend personal time in the mornings with the play-by-play man, listening to his show.

“That’s the great thing about a small town or a relatively small town in the state of Vermont, if you’re there long enough, people really kind of grab onto you and they have grabbed onto Jack and he has grabbed onto them and it has just been a tremendous relationship,” Commo said.

Healey says he’ll continue local play-by-play work. But Rutland no longer gets sports and news takes from a well-versed member of the community.

“He never forgot anyone,” Anderson said. “He’s like a Rutland encyclopedia.”

“I guess that comes with longevity! It’s like the guy that got 3,000 hits in MLB or something. And I certainly look at it as a compliment when someone says it to me and I really appreciate it,” Healey said. “I’ve gotta say, it’s been overwhelming and I’m going to miss people. Thank you.”