WGOW Sport Talk Hosts Scott McMahen and Joe Varner Remember Gary Haskew

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Chattanooga lost a radio icon on Monday with the passing of WGOW Sport Talk host Gary Haskew, better known as Dr. B.

He first teamed up on the airwaves with his brother Jerry, 26 years ago.

Two of his current radio co-hosts at WGOW remember Haskew as fearless when it came to promoting Sport Talk.

Scott ‘Quake’ McMahen was Gary Haskew’s on-air partner for many years on WGOW’s Sport Talk.

And he says Dr. B absolutely loved being on the radio.

Said McMahen-“Just the fact that he thought day in and day out, he could make a difference in people’s lives just by being on the radio. Being entertaining. Having fun.”

Haskew loved to bet his listeners

He once ate dog food on the air to pay up on a bet.

Sadly for Haskew, he lost a lot of strange bets.

Said Sport Talk producer ‘Cowboy’ Joe Varner-“He had his head shaved with a buck knife. I believe a Marine did it.”

Added McMahen-“Bet a TV personality here on the Tennessee-Alabama game. Tennessee lost, and he ate an actual crow. Grilled up with some barbeque sauce. Said it was the nastiest thing he had ever put in his mouth. Even worse than the dog food. He actually ate a grilled crow. He had to eat crow since he lost that bet.”

Haskew loved talking sports anywhere.

McMahen-“If he was walking down the street, and heard somebody talking either golf or Tennessee football, there was no way he was not going to walk by them and give his two cents.”

Perhaps Haskew’s third love was needling Bama fans, who he called ‘Tater Diggers’.

Said Varner-“This is according to Dr. B. It was people on Sand Mountain or people from Alabama in general. That’s what they did. They dug taters. So he would call every Alabama fan a ‘Tater Digger.’

Said Varner-“What will I miss most? His ability to make people love him. That was pretty special.”

The family will receive friends from 6:00-9 p.m. on Thursday, July 7, at the Stuart Heights Baptist Church in Hixson.

A Celebration of Life will also be held at Stuart Heights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 8.