Darrell Wible was a broadcaster and sports director in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was also one of Ball State University’s most distinguished professors. He taught at Ball State for 25 years and established WCRD, a student-run campus radio station.
Wible began his broadcasting career in 1949 at WBIW, Bedford. He performed over 6,000 programs at WBIW. Despite making less than $35 a week, he said that he loved the job so much, he would have worked for free.
Two years later he was hired as sports director of WBOW, Terre Haute, moving later to WTHI, also in Terre Haute. At WTHI, he served as the sports and news director, account executive and director of radio.
In 1962, Wible’s radio fishing program called “The Sportsman’s Club” aired on television and played on television for two decades.
Wible received a Master of Science degree from Indiana State University in 1952 and a PhD from Ohio State University in 1968.
Wible was the first faculty member hired for Ball State University’s Center for Radio, Television and Motion Pictures in 1966. His first class as an assistant professor was Mass Communications, and an early student of his was David Letterman, famous American television host and comedian.
Later, Wible collaborated with Letterman to create the Letterman Telecommunications Scholarship in 1985. As well as the Letterman Scholarship, Wible also founded The Evelyn Reynolds Wible Endowed Nursing Scholarship as a way to honor his wife, who was a dedicated medical-surgical nurse.
In 1977, Wible was the trackside announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. He held this position until 1980.
In 1989, Wible established student-run campus radio station WCRD at Ball State. He retired from being a professor a year later as professor emeritus of telecommunications.
Wible was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneer Hall of Fame in September of 2003. In 2008, he was recognized as a “Sagamore of the Wabash,” by Indiana’s governor.
Wible passed away on August 4, 2013. He was 88 years old.
