For the younger generation, the name Ross Porter may fall silent on their ears, but for the generations before them — the name holds deep, sentimental meaning.

“I’m like a 12-year-old kid,” said CSUN baseball head coach Greg Moore, when he hears Porter call games. “His voice reminds me of when I was growing up listening to games, playing catch and throwing the ball at the side of the house.”

Ross Porter, a play-by-play announcer spent 28 years of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he became a legend at his craft.

Porter has been honored with many achievements, including being selected as one of the top 60 baseball announcers of all time, in a book written by Curt Smith titled “Voices of Summer.”

In 2005, Porter was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame along with Vin Scully, his longtime colleague, and a legend in the baseball industry himself.

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In 1989, at a Dodger game against the Houston Astros in Montreal, Porter set a record for broadcasting 22 straight innings, a total of 6 hours and 14 minutes, without any replacements.

Growing up, Porter always had a love for sports, but baseball was one passion that seemed to draw him in the most.

“My dad used to put me on his lap at breakfast and read the sports page to me,” he said. “I think I was four years old. “

At the young age of 14, Porter found himself entering the broadcasting world, when a local radio station in his small town of Shawnee, Okla. gave him the chance to sit in and call a few innings for the Shawnee Class D baseball team, the Hawks.

After a year of calling a few innings here and there, Porter was offered the full-time announcer position when the old announcer resigned.

From that point on, at the age of 15, Porter was set on his broadcasting and never found a reason to deviate from that path.

For 28 straight years, Porter found himself broadcasting all types of sports games. From the big leagues to college teams, baseball to basketball, his voice filled up the radio waves and made a special place in the sports listeners’ hearts.

In 2004, with a turn of events, Porter left the Dodgers and ventured into various other announcing opportunities.

Almost 11 years after his departure, CSUN was given the chance to have a broadcast giant involved in the baseball program, and Porter was provided with an opportunity to get back in the press box.

“I’m very, very happy about being apart of the CSUN baseball program and I appreciate the fact that they gave me the opportunity to do this,” he said. “I love baseball and I think CSUN’s a fine university.”

Before meeting the baseball players at media day, Porter did plenty of homework and demonstrated the commitment he invests in his craft.

“He prepares and it’s so impressive because he cares about the team and the craft of being a great broadcaster,” Moore said. “He met about 90 percent of the team and he had questions for all of them, and at the same time he would get asked a question and he would explain to them with a great answer.”

Everyone, from the coaches to the baseball players to the parents, was more than overjoyed when the news of Ross Porter, longtime Dodger broadcaster would be joining in the CSUN Sports Network.

“To give CSUN a voice on the radio and on the Internet, I think it’s such a huge thing,” said the assistant coach and hitting coordinator Jordan Twohig. “And to have that voice calling about 80 percent of our games this year is pretty amazing.”

Although Porter was offered the position to broadcast not only for the baseball games but also for the CSUN softball games, he decided that it would be best to simply call the home games just for the baseball team.

“I think it’s awesome and great for the program, definitely makes you feel special,” said Matador pitcher Drake Atlee. “We are thankful to have him because he has so much experience in broadcasting; It’s going to be exciting listening to him call our home games.”

Porter’s debut in the CSUN baseball press box was on Friday, Feb. 19, at the team’s home opener against California State University, Bakersfield.

He said he loved it.

“It was so great to be back calling baseball and doing something I love,” Porter said after the game. “I feel really good about it.”