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Who was your favorite announcer(s) in the day?

drs23

drs23

Veteran
"The Life Of" profiling Pat Summerall struck a cord and got me to thinking back. I reminisced about all the guys getting the 'pick up game' up though we had the same teams every time. Game over before kickoff we watched on a snowy 19" B&W W/rabbit ears that the crew would have to stand watches to hold the aluminum foil.That's while everyone of us stinkin' sweaty boys are piggin' on whatever wasn't hidden. We all have booth crews we can't stand today. So I got to thinking about it and decided to see what your yesteryear list would look like if you had one.

Me:

1) Pat Summerall. The best voice I've ever heard call a game and knew what he was talking about.

2) Dick Enberg. His voice was annoying to some folks and is kinda why I liked him. That and he was one of the best at what he did I think.

3) This is where many get lumped together. Madden: Super Bowl winning coach and a master in the booth. The repetitive Captain Obvious Schitc could wear after a while. Cosell, 'nuff said and Theisman is right there. Frank Gifford I enjoyed for the first 20 years. I enjoyed Dandy's Willie rendition. I could even stomach Dumbeldorf back then. These guys are just my starter guys but there were/are a pile more.

Just want you folks' take/thoughts are.

**This is directed at the NFL but if we're talking about the best game callers of all times how could you not end with a "WHOA NELLIE!"?**
 
StarStruck said:
I have a list of one, Howard Cosell.
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(in best Cosell voice) Possibly the EPITOME....of sports announcers. Establishing a degree of EXCELLENCE ...which began with his documenting the pugilistic exploits ...of a young... Cassius Clay. He was the STANDARD...upon which other sports announcers were measured and continue to be measured and HAS NO ...discernible peers.


I have to agree with S.S. here. If it wasn't for Howard we wouldn't be having this conversation.
 
Dread-Head said:
(in best Cosell voice) Possibly the EPITOME....of sports announcers. Establishing a degree of EXCELLENCE ...which began with his documenting the pugilistic exploits ...of a young... Cassius Clay. He was the STANDARD...upon which other sports announcers were measured and continue to be measured and HAS NO ...discernible peers.


I have to agree with S.S. here. If it wasn't for Howard we wouldn't be having this conversation.
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Oh we'd still be having the conversation, If it wasn't for Howard though there might actually be a debate about who was at the top. Since we got Cosell it's all just a question of who comes in second and how far behind Howard they are.
 
I have two #1 guys - Cosell and a guy I can't believe no one has mentioned yet, Keith Jackson. As a kid, Keith Jackson was the TV on Saturday. It was the most prevalent non-parental voice that day. He also did the USFL, which is probably one reason I liked that league so much.

After that, I also liked the Madden-Summerall duo.

ETA - skipped over the last line of the original post.
 
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toronto said:
Summerall/Madden, Enberg/Olsen. Life was perfect as a football fan on those two pairs.
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Can't argue there.

I'm not as big on Cosell as the rest of you so I'll give Curt Gowdy an honorable mention. In the seventies his voice was synonymous with the NFL as well as other sports. For whatever reason I associate Curt Gowdy with the Jets games in the Namath era, Colts too, and the great Charlie Jones doing Kansas City Chiefs games.

I'll forever give Cosell, Meredith, and Gifford all the credit in the world for showing that three men can call a game without taking up every last second of the broadcast yammering on about nothing like it seems to be with more recent trios in the booth at the same time.
 
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I listened to a ton of Oiler radio on 740am with Jerry Trupiano, Wally Lemm and John O'Reilly. The Oilers were only on TV for away games for the most part, so 740am was important back in the day.
 
Hervoyel said:
Oh we'd still be having the conversation, If it wasn't for Howard though there might actually be a debate about who was at the top. Since we got Cosell it's all just a question of who comes in second and how far behind Howard they are.
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:thinking: For me personally:

a. "Dandy" Don Meridith

b. Marv Albert

c. Pat Summeral

d. Merlin Olsen

e. O.J. Simpson

&

f. my dopelganger Spencer Tilman.
 
Vinny said:
I listened to a ton of Oiler radio on 740am with Jerry Trupiano, Wally Lemm and John O'Reilly. The Oilers were only on TV for away games for the most part, so 740am was important back in the day.
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Oh man!!! Jerry Trupiano is a blast from the past. I don't remember him on Oilers broadcasts but I do remember him calling Aeros games. Dude was good.

Gene Elston and Ron Franklin were a couple more of my local favorites.



eriadoc said:
I have two #1 guys - Cosell and a guy I can't believe no one has mentioned yet, Keith Jackson. As a kid, Keith Jackson was the TV on Saturday. It was the most prevalent non-parental voice that day. He also did the USFL, which is probably one reason I liked that league so much.
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Keith Jackson was "THE voice" of college football. Probably the absolute best in any sport. Right up there with Vin Scully.
 
Speedy said:
Oh man!!! Jerry Trupiano is a blast from the past. I don't remember him on Oilers broadcasts but I do remember him calling Aeros games. Dude was good.

Gene Elston and Ron Franklin were a couple more of my local favorites.





Keith Jackson was "THE voice" of college football. Probably the absolute best in any sport. Right up there with Vin Scully.
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Trupiano did Rockets on TV back then too, and he was great. I can remember in the 70's when Ron Franklin did Oiler radio and he was great too.
 
eriadoc said:
I have two #1 guys - Cosell and a guy I can't believe no one has mentioned yet, Keith Jackson. As a kid, Keith Jackson was the TV on Saturday. It was the most prevalent non-parental voice that day. He also did the USFL, which is probably one reason I liked that league so much.

After that, I also liked the Madden-Summerall duo.

ETA - skipped over the last line of the original post.
Click to expand...

Yep. Who else could say "Whoa Nellie" like Keith Jackson. You're right, no way to leave him off the list!
 
Vinny said:
I listened to a ton of Oiler radio on 740am with Jerry Trupiano, Wally Lemm and John O'Reilly. The Oilers were only on TV for away games for the most part, so 740am was important back in the day.
Click to expand...

Speedy said:
Oh man!!! Jerry Trupiano is a blast from the past. I don't remember him on Oilers broadcasts but I do remember him calling Aeros games. Dude was good.

Gene Elston and Ron Franklin were a couple more of my local favorites.
Click to expand...

texanhead08 said:
Trupiano did Rockets on TV back then too, and he was great. I can remember in the 70's when Ron Franklin did Oiler radio and he was great too.
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I remember Trupiano from the Oilers and the Astro's, and really enjoyed him. I remember him just as much - if not more - as one of the first sports radio talk show hosts in the Houston area. I never listened to him when he was paired with John Breen, but got to Houston shortly after that. That was back in the day when sports talk radio consisted of two or three stations (KTRH was the leader), and even then it was only 2-4 hours a day. My top 3 all time Houston sports radio hosts still includes Trupiano (along with Pallilo and LZ). Among other things he was the guy who was responsible for bringing Joel Buchsbaum to the Houston airwaves. Left to go work for the Red Sox, came back for a short ill-fated stint working for Dan Patrick at KSEV, and then moved on again.

Good memories.
 
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