It was announced this week that the Alabama-based ‘Rick and Bubba Show’ would be ending after 30 years on the air.

Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey have been bringing listeners laughter, tears, faith, sports commentary, and everything in between since 1994.

But how did the two get their start before bringing a show seen and heard by millions weekly?

They actually went to rival high schools before eventually becoming friends when they attended Jacksonville State University together.

According to 104.7 WZZK, the two men went their separate ways after school, with Bill becoming a chief engineer in Gadsden. When his station was looking for a new morning man, Bill recommended Rick for the job, which is when they began eating lunch together and creating ideas for what was at the time, Rick’s show.

Eventually, Bill started joining the show regularly and earned the nickname ‘Bubba’, and before long ‘Bubba’ became a regular co-host due to his chemistry with Rick. Thus, the ‘Rick and Bubba Show’ was born.

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In due time, the show became so popular that it was expanded and syndicated across the Southeast. Now, the show is syndicated across 18 states and is one of the most well known morning radio shows in the entire country.

A daily five-hour broadcast has allowed listeners to connect with the commentary of both men on a wide-range of topics, and that variety is among the reasons why the show became so popular.

The two men both share a strong faith in God, something that has been prevalent on the show from its inception.

As the show reaches 30 years, it’s seen and heard by millions through its YouTube platform as well as the Rick and Bubba podcast, allowing listeners to hear the show on-demand after the fact if they could not get it live.

To give you a true idea of the show’s mega popularity, when an Alabama news outler asked its readers in 2015 who should be on the Mount Rushmore of the state, Rick and Bubba received more votes than any other candidate, even three times more votes than Nick Saban. In 2017, Yellowhammer News even named Rick and Bubba to its annual Power & Influence List.

The show will be tremendously missed by listeners from across the country when the iconic duo actually goes off the air — but both Rick and Bubba say they’ll finish out 2024 strong before then.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP