Rollie Jacobs (right, in white) works with Gary Danko (middle) and Mark Wiernasz in the announcers booth at the old Riverside Park Speedway (Photo: Courtesy Gary Danko)
STAFFORD – The Southern New England racing scene lost one of its great ambassadors and friends this week with the passing Wednesday of longtime track announcer and television reporter Rollie Jacobs.
Jacobs was 86 years old.
Jacobs started at WWLP 22News in Springfield, Mass. in 1956 and was the station’s first sportscaster.
He retired from the station in 1984.
Jacobs also served as the track announcer at the former Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Mass. for 35 years and also spent time announcing at both Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway.
Current Stafford Speedway announcer and former Riverside Park Speedway operator Ben Dodge called Jacobs “a truly amazing man.”
“He was the first individual from a major network newscast to cover auto racing in the Northeast,” Dodge said. “Nobody else would do it. He totally stepped out of the boundaries and came to Riverside and he started doing it. He worked with me all those years at Riverside and here [at Stafford Speedway] and at Thompson [Speedway]. Just an amazing man. I never saw him angry. Truly, a goodwill ambassador for short track racing. Loved the sport, loved Modified racing and never forgot where he came from.”
Going to miss him and his voice on the track pa he really put his heart In to New England racing
Always a smile on his face and handled his job with professionalism and dignity week in and week out. One of the finest gentlemen I ever had the pleasure to work with in the racing business. RIP my friend.
Now riverside is truly gone….