Vin Scully treasured the roar of the crowd as grand marshal of Rose Parade, Rose Bowl

Legendary Baseball Broadcaster Vin Scully died Tuesday, Aug. 2, but the memories of him serving as the face of the 2014 Rose Parade offered great comfort to friends and fans who found themselves mourning the Tournament of Roses’ former Grand Marshal.

Riding in the parade once before — aboard a Dodgers float and co-hosting the parade with Elizabeth Montgomery in 1969 — Scully returned to Pasadena decades later to enjoy much more of the Tournament of Roses’ celebration at the age of 85 when he served as grand marshal of the parade and the 100th Rose Bowl game.

Rose Parade grand marshal Vin Scully, second from right, with his wife Sandy, right, prior to the 100th Rose bowl game between Stanford and Michigan State in Pasadena, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan.1, 2014.(Keith Birmingham Pasadena Star-News)

Scully joined the ranks of previous grand marshals including Mickey Mouse, William Shatner, former presidents Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower and Baseball Hall of Famer Henry L. “Hank” Aaron.

R. Scott Jenkins, the 2014 Tournament of Roses president, made the announcement back in 2013 amid a spread that included boxes of Cracker Jacks, organ music and a towering curtain of Dodger Blue.

“I found him to be authentic, humble and a gentleman with extraordinary storytelling ability who held family as his highest priority,” Jenkins said during an interview Wednesday, Aug. 3, noting if Scully weren’t a sports announcer then he would have made a great preacher or a trial lawyer.

“And you know, some people might put on a façade with a different goal in mind but for him it was just authentic,” Jenkins said. “He was humble, a true gentleman, and a great role model, especially today… And sadly, there are not many good role models but Vin Scully was a fantastic one. And I hope a lot of people will remember that if we can live up to those kinds of standards – we might have a successful life too.”

Scully said in 2013 he intended to use the beloved Rose Parade as a way to thank Dodgers fans who have supported him over the years. But Jenkins remembers it being the other way around with fans from around the world rushing to pay tribute to the baseball legend and his wife Sandi as they traveled down Colorado Boulevard.

Parade Grand Marshall and voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers Vin Scully rides in a 1950 Oldsmobile 98 Coupe Convertible during the 125th Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA January 1, 2014. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/Pasadena Star-News)

“I could see them crest like a wave every time his car drove up to a new crowd of spectators. People were standing up and applauding and you could really hear what he described as the roar of the crowd as he went down Colorado Boulevard,” Jenkins said, echoing one of Scully’s most famous phrases. “And it was terrific to see Pasadena fans come out and give him that roar of the crowd.”

Scully told the Star-News at the time that the cheers during the parade took him back to his days as a young boy when he would crawl under his family’s four-legged wooden radio in the living room and listen to college football games.

Jenkins remembered Wednesday: “Like most kids growing up in L.A. in the ‘60s and ‘70s, I went to sleep every night in the summer with a transistor radio beneath my pillow listening to Vin announce the Dodger games.”

In the Star-News coverage of the parade, Richard Indergard of Pasadena said he would never forget when the Hall of Fame baseball announcer rolled by Colorado Boulevard during the parade in a 1950 Olds 98. He’d been a Scully fan since he was a boy living in Michigan.

“I liked the Dodgers more than the Yankees,” Indergard said in 2014, donning his Dodgers cap. “He’s a great guy, and he should be applauded.”

Jenkins echoed that sentiment this week after learning of Scully’s death.

“We exchanged email messages all the time. We sent flowers back and forth for special occasions. He would even invite me when he was still broadcasting to go down and have lunch with him,” Jenkins said. “Then for a couple of games he allowed me to sit in the back of the broadcast booth and just watch him work.”

It was an incredible sight, Jenkins said. “I felt like pinching myself because a moment like that, to experience in person, is very, very special.”

Even with all the attention and accolades, though, Scully remained humble — a quality Jenkins still appreciated to this day.

“I can’t believe they are coming to see me; they are coming to see the floats, and I just happen to be in a car,” Scully said on New Year’s Day 2014. “If I could somehow let everyone know, I would want them to know how grateful I have been for all the kind words and gestures I’ve received over the years, and at the same time I would like to again congratulate all of the hard-working volunteers. You just don’t have a big enough heart to express your sentiments over how wonderful these people are and have been and will continue to be.”

Parade Grand Marshall and voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers Vin Scully rides in a 1950 Oldsmobile 98 Coupe Convertible during 2014 Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. on January 1, 2014. (Staff photo by Leo Jarzomb/ Pasadena Star-News)

Jenkins noted Wednesday that Scully almost turned down the experience.

“He said he’s not worthy of that honor,” Jenkins said, giving credit to Scully’s wife Sandi for strong-arming him into serving. “He repeatedly kept telling me I’m just an announcer and a broadcaster. He said the talent is on the field.”

But in the end Scully was certainly not regretful of his choice to partake in the parade’s annual festivities – even though he and Jenkins both rose at 2 a.m. on the morning of the Rose Parade and college footballs/ “Granddaddy of ’em all,” Jenkins recalled.

“Before the end of the game,” Jenkins said Wednesday, “Vin takes me aside, gets right in my face and he says: ‘Scott, I have had an incredible life. I have seen amazing things. But I have never, never had a day like this.’”

“And when he said ‘never’ twice – he had his finger on my chest and he pointed into me twice,” Jenkins added. “As you can imagine, I was in tears at that point.”

Jenkins wasn’t crying on Wednesday, however.

Instead, he took solace in knowing his dear friend, Vin Scully “joined the angels at the trade deadline.”