PROVIDENCE, R.I. –  American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco issued the following statement regarding Verne Lundquist, who will be calling his final college football game Saturday at the 117^th Army-Navy game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.
 
 “Everyone associated with the American Athletic Conference congratulates Verne Lundquist on a legendary career. Verne has been a true icon in the sports broadcasting industry. He has elevated college sports by gracing college football and basketball games with his incomparable play-by-play, astute insights, humor, memorable calls and infectious enthusiasm over many years, and we are all delighted that he will continue to call college basketball and golf for CBS. He has called NCAA tournament games involving our teams over the years, and has always been gracious to and complementary of our conference. In addition to being a superb broadcaster, Verne is a genuinely warm and engaging individual, as his countless friends will attest. I have been privileged to be one of those friends for many years, and there is no finer person.
 
He has been called a national treasure and it is a perfect description. The American Athletic Conference salutes him as he prepares to retire from college football and the SEC Saturday package, to which he has lent so much prestige over the years. We are proud that his final call will be Army-Navy, one of the greatest rivalries in college football and a game that transcends sports, and which involves American Athletic Conference member Navy. We join all those who love college sports and college football in extending a fond football farewell to Verne along with our best wishes to him and his lovely wife Nancy as they begin a new chapter.”