Voice of the Guthrie Bluejays inducted into Guthrie High School Sports Hall of Fame

By: Ronnie Phillips
Special to Guthrie News Page

Thirty years after walking the halls of Guthrie High School as a student, longtime Voice of the Bluejays Chris Evans is now a member of the Guthrie High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Evans, a 1996 graduate of Guthrie High School, was surprised with the honor during Friday’s Homecoming Assembly inside a packed GHS gymnasium.

For more than two decades, Evans has served as the Voice of the Bluejays, calling some of the biggest moments in the history of Guthrie athletics.

He was behind the microphone for all four of Guthrie’s football state championship games and called the Bluejays’ back-to-back boys basketball state championships in 2007 and 2008.

But Evans’ involvement with Guthrie athletics began well before he became the Voice of the Bluejays.

He began covering Guthrie sports in 1994 as a junior at Guthrie High School and has remained involved in covering and promoting Bluejay athletics ever since.

His broadcasting work has earned recognition across Oklahoma.

Evans is a three-time recipient of the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters’ Outstanding Achievement in Broadcasting Award for Play-by-Play, receiving the honor in 2013, 2016, and 2018.

In 2023, he received the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association’s Media Excellence Award for his coverage of OSSAA activities.

Evans also serves as a Regional Coordinator for the NFHS Network, where he is responsible for hiring and coordinating broadcasters for Oklahoma playoff and state championship events across multiple sports.

Around Guthrie, Evans has become a familiar voice beyond the broadcast booth. He serves as the emcee for Meet the Bluejays, Hall of Fame inductions, and numerous other events involving Guthrie athletics.

On Friday, however, Evans wasn’t the one making the announcement.

Surrounded by family, students, and many of his classmates from 30 years ago, Evans’ former Guthrie High School journalism teacher, Jimalea Patterson, stepped forward to announce that her former student would become the newest member of the Guthrie High School Sports Hall of Fame.

A visibly surprised Evans embraced Patterson before receiving his Hall of Fame plaque from fellow 2026 inductee and former Guthrie, Missouri, and NFL standout Kentrell Brothers. Related article: Kentrell Brothers to be inducted into Guthrie High School Hall of Fame

Beyond broadcasting, Evans founded Guthrie Sports Page, Guthrie News Page and Second Banana Media, continuing a career built around covering and serving his hometown.

His involvement in Guthrie has extended well beyond athletics.

Evans was named the Greater Guthrie Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 2022 and has served multiple terms on the Chamber’s Board of Directors, including as chairman.

He was named the Guthrie YMCA Youth Sports Coach of the Year in 2019 and the Guthrie YMCA Volunteer of the Year in 2023.

Evans currently serves on the Logan County Excise Board and Logan County Equalization Board and is a member of the United Way of Logan County Advisory Board.

Through the years, Evans has covered generations of Bluejay athletes, announced their accomplishments and helped tell their stories.

On Friday, the roles were reversed.

The broadcaster who has spent decades announcing the names of Guthrie’s athletes and Hall of Fame inductees heard his own name called.

Evans married his wife, Sam, in 2000. They have two sons, Cale and Lance.

From a Guthrie High School journalism student covering the Bluejays in 1994 to the longtime voice behind some of the school’s greatest athletic moments, Evans’ connection to Guthrie athletics now has a permanent place in school history.

Chris Evans — the Voice of the Bluejays — is a member of the Guthrie High School Sports Hall of Fame.