'Hot Rod' Hundley, longtime Utah Jazz broadcaster, dies at 80

'Hot Rod' Hundley, a broadcaster of Utah Jazz games for 35 years, died Friday at his home in Phoenix, Ariz., at the age of 80.

'Hot Rod' Hundley, a radio broadcaster of Utah Jazz games for 35 years, died Friday at his home in Phoenix, Ariz., at the age of 80, the team announced in a release. 

Hundley called 3,051 Utah Jazz games, most of which were simulcast on radio and television. He was known for his rapid-fire delivery and expressions such as 'from the parking lot' to describe long jump shots. 

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Before calling Jazz games, he called games for the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers for four seasons each. He was employed by the Jazz franchise when the team was based in New Orleans in the 1970's, before it relocated to Salt Lake City.

[daily_cut.NBA] He earned his nickname during his playing days at the University of West Virginia and in the NBA for his precarious ball-handling maneuvers. 

Hundley played for West Virginia in the 1950s, where he became the fourth NCAA player to score more than 2,000 points in his career. He and NBA legend Jerry West became the only two West Virginia players to have their numbers retired. 

He was drafted by the NBA's Cincinnati Royals, and soon made his way to the Minneapolis Lakers, the franchise he would play for for six seasons. 

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In 2000, he returned to West Virginia to finish his degree in arts & sciences more than four decades after originally leaving the school. 

Hundley retired in 2009. 

- Will Green