Hillcrest Honors Longtime PA in Homecoming Parade

Hillcrest High School celebrated its homecoming parade on Sept. 29 with Peter Irwin as the grand marshal.

Irwin, Hillcrest class of 1960, is in his 50th football season as public address announcer at Franklin Field. He started as a substitute in Dallas ISD booths in 1972 and took the starting job at Franklin Field in 1973.

Former Dallas ISD athletic director Charlie Dyer, who hired Irwin and was his elementary school PE teacher, told him he had the prerequisites to make a first-class PA man: “Speak clearly, don’t talk too much, and focus on the players.”

Outside of Hillcrest games, Irwin worked the press box microphone for the Dallas Cowboys from 1993 to 2018. He’s also worked SMU, TCU, and Big 12 games in addition to handling the mic at the Cotton Bowl and moderating men’s and women’s NCAA tournament basketball games.

While at Hillcrest, Irwin played the drums in the marching band and did the same at SMU. After graduation, he taught college business and computer classes until retiring in 2020.

Irwin and his wife have been married for 57 years and have two daughters and three grandchildren.