BUFFS BROADCAST TEAM
MARK JOHNSON, Play-by-Play
Mark Johnson is in his 14th year as the play-by-play voice for Colorado football and men's basketball. After a 13-year run as the sports director at KOA, Johnson embarks on a new challenge this fall. Now employed full time by the university as the athletic department’s director of audio broadcasting, Johnson will continue play-by-play duties for football and men’s basketball while increasing his role as the lead voice on the Buffaloes’ multi-media and digital platforms. Previously, Johnson spent two years as the "Voice of the Orange" for Syracuse Football and Men's Basketball. Before his time in Syracuse, Johnson was the play-by-play announcer for four years at Illinois State University and earned three Silver Dome Awards for best play-by-play broadcast in the state of Illinois. He also worked for two years as an announcer for the University of North Dakota. Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in communications from North Dakota in 1992. He and his wife, Susan, have two sons, Nicolas and Jacob, and a daughter, Halle.
GARY BARNETT, Color Analyst
Gary Barnett is in his second full season on the KOA broadcast team as the color analyst for football broadcasts. He made his KOA debut on Oct. 31, 2015, during CU’s game at UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Barnett was also in the booth for the Nov. 13 game against USC as the Buffaloes celebrated Larry Zimmer, who retired at the end of the 2015 season after a storied 42-year broadcasting career. In seven years as head coach for the Buffaloes, Barnett led the team to a 49-38 record, five bowl appearances and the 2001 Big 12 Championship. Since leaving the coaching profession in 2006, he has been a college football analyst in both television and radio, with several weekly shows around the nation as well as on XM College Sports. With his wife, Mary, he has also run the Gary Barnett Foundation, which is dedicated to the support of educational programs for economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth, particularly in the area of suicide prevention.