Al McCoy (announcer)
Al McCoy (born April 26, 1933), sometimes nicknamed as The Voice of The Suns, is an American broadcaster and announcer. He has been the radio broadcast announcer for Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA) games since 1972,[1] which makes him the longest tenured broadcaster in the NBA. In his entire tenure he has missed only one game due to illness (December 31, 2005 at the Chicago Bulls). With McCoy returning for the 2016–17 season, he officially marks as the longest tenured NBA broadcaster of all-time, beating out Chick Hearn throughout his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers.
McCoy is a resident of Arizona, and a native of Williams, Iowa. He is a graduate of Drake University.
Career highlights
Al McCoy's first job in radio was at KJFJ in Webster City, Iowa. He later worked for three years at WHO (AM) in Des Moines,[2] and he is still a frequent guest on "Two Guys Named Jim"—a sports-talk show on WHO.[3]
Prior to joining the Suns on September 27, 1972, McCoy was the broadcaster for the Triple-A Phoenix Giants baseball club and "One of the Good Guys," a DJ on KRUX 1360 AM. McCoy was also the weekend television play-by-play man for the Arizona Diamondbacks during the club's first season in 1998. He worked with Joe Garagiola throughout that season.
Catchphrases
His famous phrases include Shazam! every time a player makes a 3-point shot and Heartbreak Hotel! whenever a player misses a shot by little or the Suns lose a very close game. Shazam! in particular gained special credit as it was from a comic book series that McCoy enjoyed reading.[4] Other catch phrases include "Wham Bam Slam" or "Whammo" when a player slams the ball and "Zing go the strings" or "Swish-a-roo for two" (or just "swish-a-roo") when they swish a shot.
He also has nicknames for individual players such as The Nash Rambler for Steve Nash, Captain Kidd for former Suns Captain Jason Kidd and the Matrix for former Suns player Shawn Marion (although the origin of that nickname is generally attributed to former NBA player and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, not McCoy).
Awards
In 2006 Phoenix Magazine named McCoy the best play-by-play announcer in their annual "Best of the Valley" issue.
The Suns paid tribute to McCoy on March 2, 2007, distributing talking bobbleheads to fans at US Airways Center and renaming the Suns' press room the Al McCoy Media Center.
McCoy received the 2007 Curt Gowdy Media Award during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Family Reunion Dinner in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Al is currently a member of the Broadcasters Hall of Fame
In 2015, McCoy was inducted into the Iowa Hall of Pride for the achievements he provided as an announcer in the NBA.[5]
On October 26, 2016, it was announced by team owner Robert Sarver that Al McCoy was going to be inducted into the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor for his achievements to the organization on March 3, 2017 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
References
- ↑ McCoy, Al (2007-03-06). "Broadcaster of the Week: Al McCoy, Phoenix Suns". NBA.com. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
- ↑ "July 15, 2007". Two Guys Named Jim. Des Moines, Iowa. 2007-07-15. WHO (AM).
- ↑
- ↑ http://www.nba.com/suns/blog/suns-legend-al-mccoy-shares-origin-story-shazam-call
- ↑ "Al McCoy Honored with Inclusion in Iowa Hall of Pride". NBA.com. October 15, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2016.