FAYETTEVILLE — Larry Shank, the enthusiastic public address announcer for Arkansas Razorbacks baseball, died Saturday morning at his home in Springdale after a battle with cancer.

Shank, 56, had served as the Razorbacks’ public address announcer since 1990, having seen the transition from old George Cole Field to Baum Stadium, now considered one of the finest facilities in college baseball.

“We’ll try to find somebody to replace him, but that’s impossible,” Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles said. “No one can replace his voice and the things that he did.”

Many things endeared Shank to Arkansas baseball fans, from his enthusiastic greeting that preceded every Razorbacks game — “Hello, sports fans, 75 baseball degrees !” or whatever the temperature was at game time — to singing the national anthem before games to his seventh-inningstretch rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” which was followed with Shank’s signature tag of “This is baseball !”

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Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn, who coached at Nebraska before returning to Fayetteville to coach his alma mater in 2003, said Shank was a big part of the Baum Stadium experience.

“I thought we had it going pretty good at Nebraska... but Larry blew them all away, from announcing the lineup on the field to singing the national anthem to his p. a. voice,” Van Horn said. “For everyone who has ever been to Baum Stadium, it’s a great loss.”

Added Norm DeBriyn, the longtime Razorbacks coach and current vice president of the Razorback Foundation: “You don’t replace a guy like that. Not only a p. a. announcer with a great voice, but a singer, an entertainer.”

There was no question Shank was as much an entertainer as a public address man, coming up with his own unique way of bringing the action to fans and making a trip to the ballpark a more enjoyable experience.

He even carved out his own home run call for whenever a Razorbacks player hit a home run. It always included the query, “Whoa, sports fans, did you see that ?”, and hearing that was a feeling like no other for players.

“I loved it,” said former Razorbacks catcher Brady Toops, who also recounted how much he enjoyed listening to Shank belt out the national anthem before games.

“Singing on Sundays, that was something we always counted on,” Toops said. “Every single time it was perfect. He never made a mistake.”

Toops, who went on to play minor league baseball for parts of three seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, said he never came across anyone else in the press box quite like Shank.

“It’s a sad day for Arkansas baseball,” Toops said. “When you look at the University of Arkansas now being ranked No. 1 in the nation [in actual attendance ], with the best atmosphere and fans in the nation, Larry Shank was a huge part in adding to the overall environment of a baseball game. He was such a staple.”

Shank’s career wasn’t just limited to the baseball diamond.

He was the announcer for both the Razorback Marching Band and the Springdale High School marching bands. A 1974 Arkansas graduate with degrees in journalism and marketing, he also dabbled in projects that ranged from owning his own advertising agency to writing jingles for television commercials and producing television pilots for the Family Channel and ESPN.

Shank was involved in his church, First United Methodist of Springdale, was past president of the Springdale Rotary Club and took on lead roles in productions at Arts Center of the Ozarks.

Shank’s survivors include his wife, Karen, son Andrew Shank, daughter Amanda Shank, a brother, John Shank, and a sister, Barbara Eimer.

Visitation will be from 6 p. m. to 8 p. m. Monday at First United Methodist Church, and a memorial service is scheduled for 10 a. m. Tuesday at the church.