Gus Johnson, on Holiday Bowl broadcast, says family lived in Louisville's Beecher Terrace

Legendary announcer Gus Johnson, who is calling Louisville football's Holiday Bowl game against USC, revealed Wednesday night his family is from Louisville, growing up in Beecher Terrace: "The Beecha where they will eat ya."

Beecher Terrace was built in 1939 to house World War II defense workers, but the neighborhood became federally subsidized public housing after the war. Beecher Terrace was full of mostly middle-class Black families. Beecher Terrace had several amenities, including its own health clinic. Johnson's family lived at 14th and Walnut.

Johnson told The New York Times that his family's time in Beecher Terrace predated another Louisville legend, Muhammad Ali. Growing up, Johnson was inspired by the musings of Howard Cosell and told his mom, "That's what I'm going to be," as a 7-year-old listening to Cosell during boxing broadcasts.

Johnson credits his broadcasting style to his preacher father, specifically calling it, "Emotional. Passionate. Noncritical. Fair. A little crazy. A lot crazy. A little wild."

This story will be updated.

Reach sports reporter Brooks Warren at bwarren@gannett.com and follow him on X at @Broookksss.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Holiday Bowl: Gus Johnson family lived in Louisville Beecher Terrace