The longtime public address announcer at Birmingham’s Legion Field, Simpson Pepper, has died. He was 79.

Pepper died Thursday at UAB Hospital in Birmingham. He had been in the hospital on a ventilator since a friend discovered he had fallen at his home two weeks ago.

Pepper was known as “the voice of Legion Field” and was preparing to work his 45th season as the public address announcer at the Birmingham stadium. Pepper also served as the public address announcer for all University of Alabama home games in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham from 1970 to 1997.

Pepper was a retired public school teacher, coach and principal. Since retiring in 1986, he had been teaching at Central Park Christian School.