The term “legend” gets thrown around a lot these days. Play a few seasons with the Colts or Pacers, you’re a legend. Get elected to political office a couple times, you’re a legend. Appear on a reality show or in a B-movie, you’re a legend. We hear the term so often, it loses meaning after awhile. But every so often, we’re reminded that the Hoosier state does have a few legends walking amongst us who truly deserve the sobriquet. One of those legends is coming to the Bona Thompson Memorial Center in Irvington on Sunday, May 5th for the annual meeting of the Indiana National Road Association (INRA).
Dave “The King” Wilson will be appearing live and in person as a special guest of INRA and the Irvington Historical Society from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Dave Wilson is a homegrown Hoosier radio legend. He graduated from Northwest high school in 1973. (By his own account, just barely.) A decade after that, in 1983, Dave started performing full-time as a stand-up comic. (His traveling buddy was Jay Leno.) A decade after that, in 1993, Dave opened One Liners comedy club in Greenwood. (Remember the airplane sticking out of the roof?) A decade after that, in 2003, Dave was asked to join the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network as a color commentator. (Four decades after falling in love with the IMS during his first visit in 1963.) And a decade after that, in 2013, Dave’s coming to Irvington! (After that buildup, we’d better make it interesting for him!)
In between, Wilson has headlined comedy clubs all across the country, appeared on several national and local TV and Radio programs, and served as public address announcer for the Colts at the Hoosier Dome, the Pacers at Market Square Arena & the Fieldhouse and for the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’s been a pit reporter and play-by-play anchor for ESPN, the WNDY-TV Race reporter for both the 500 and Brickyard 400, and even hosted a late night movie show for that same network in the mid-1990s.
However, fans remember Dave Wilson most for his radio work. Like “Bouncing” Bill Baker, Fred Heckman, Luke Walton, Tom Carnegie, or Atom Smasher, Dave “The King” Wilson’s name is synonymous with Indianapolis radio. The character known as “The King” was born during Wilson’s 12-year stint as a regular on the “Bob & Tom Show” on WFBQ from 1983 to 1995. Modeled after Elvis Presley, the opening growl of “The King” is tattooed on the memory of at least two generations of Hoosier radio listeners.
For four of those WFBQ years (1991-95), Dave was the official IMS race reporter for the show and Sunday Morning Sports Talk show host for WNDE. From 1995 to 2009, Dave was host of his own self-titled show on WIBC that occupied the coveted afternoon drive time slot and always ranked high in the Arbitron ratings, in spite of having me as a guest on a few of them. From 2003 to the present day, Dave has worked for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network as color commentator, statman, and pit reporter. (Which makes it all the more special that he is spending one of those valuable May days with Irvingtonians and National Road fans this Sunday.)
During the decade-and-a-half (1992-2008) that Dave owned and operated One-Liners Comedy Club and Wilson’s Bar in Greenwood, his duties included booking acts, performing on stage, managing the 10,000 square foot club, restaurant and bar five nights a week. What gets lost during those years is that during that time, Dave Wilson raised an estimated half-million dollars for charity, principally Riley Children’s Hospital. From 1996 to 2008 alone, Dave worked closely with Indy 500 driver John Andretti in the “Kroger Race for Riley” presented by Cheerios which raised over $1.3 million for Riley’s Children’s Hospital.
For 2013, Dave will be back in the saddle on Q-95 helping Bob & Tom with Indianapolis Motor Speedway track happenings and Indy 500 race coverage. “The King” will be reporting Monday thru Friday talking with special on air guests nearly every day. On race day Dave will be doing two shows, one with Bob & Tom from 8 to 11 race day morning and the rest of his day will be spent working with the Speedway radio network. Wilson will be posting stories at Speedwaydaily.com, so be sure to check in with “The King” every day in May for updates.
Anyone who knows Dave Wilson can attest that he is an old time “Gearhead” whose passion for all things auto racing is never far from his mind. Spend time with Dave and he’ll regale you with personal stories from his experiences at the track both as a fan and as a reporter. His depth of knowledge on the Indy 500 is astounding. Dave is such a fan of all things Indy that when an old Indy car was removed from the roof of the Safety Auto Glass building on Southeastern Avenue last September, Dave was there just to see it come down. The old car had sat on the roof for over a half-century. Turns out, Sam Hanks drove the car, a Kurtis-Kraft KK500C roadster, to 2nd place in the 1956 Indy 500. Who knew? Dave did!
Dave Wilson has connections all over the city. Seems like everyone knows him and a strong case could be made for giving him honorary “Mayor” status to go with his “King” title. Dave stays in contact with his former radio companion, Irvingtononian Mel McMahon, and has often been seen at Lazy Daze coffee house. He appeared at the Irving Theatre this past March with Rick Garrett and Otto the Comic during a stop on the “Senior Comedy Tour.” Lately he’s been pod-casting interviews, including a few companion pieces to this column, at Indy Radio On Demand. One thing is certain, Dave Wilson is a busy man. You can catch up with Dave “The King” Wilson in person this Sunday at the Bona Thompson Center in Irvington from 4 to 6 p.m. and see for yourself why I, and many others, call him a Hoosier legend.
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
