In honor of the retirement of two broadcasting legends–Vin Scully and Dick Enberg–I wrote a an article in the October 2nd Times Reporter ranking MY top 10 sportscasters of all time. You can click here to read the list.
I decided to follow up with a list of MY top 10 Cleveland sportscasters of all time. Like the previous list, I am excluding announcers that are before my time (sorry Mudcat Grant and Jimmy Dudley). Unlike that list, I am considering non-game broadcasters (such as sports news anchors and sports talk hosts). Here we go…
#11 Matt Ritzert and Jim Johnson
I decided to add my favorite local broadcasters to this list. In my early years as a Tuscarawas County resident, I always enjoyed hearing Matt Ritzert describing high school games on WJER. Jim Johnson, with his deep baritone voice, is a legend to Stark County residents. It was a big highlight for my brothers and me to hear Mr. Johnson say our name on a WHBC high school football game broadcast.
#10 Casey Coleman
This former Channel 8 sports anchor was a strong vocal supporters of Clevelanders and their teams. He also wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, and stand up for what he felt was right. He announced Browns games in 1995 and 1996. He unfortunately died at age 55 of pancreatic cancer. I will always remember how he signed off his broadcasts…
“I am rounding 3rd and heading home”.
#9 Michael Reghi
A solid sports talk host, but he was an excellent TV play-by-play announcer for Cavaliers from 1993-2006. He brought great passion and energy to the games. Go to the 40 second marke on this LeBron highlight montage to here a Reghi call a playoff game winner.Or Check out his call on this LeBron dunk.
Unfortunately, when Dan Gilbert bought the team, he decided to replace Reghi with Fred McCleod (who has really grown on me).
#8 Rick Manning
It is hard to believe, but this former centerfielder is now in his 27th year as a color commentator for Cleveland Indians’ games. He does a solid job, and is definitely not shy to give an opinion. He always has some fun stories from his playing days to share, and he knows the game well.
#7 Herb Score
This former flame-throwing pitcher (whose potential superstar career was derailed by a line drive to the face) broadcast Indians games from 1964-1997. He was far from the smoothest of announcers, but he was OUR announcer. Hearing his familiar New York accent over the airwaves was like listening to your grandpa tell stories on the front porch.
#6 Gib Shanley
The Gibber was the radio play-by-play man for the Browns for 24 years, starting in the 1961. He called the 1964 NFL Championship win over the Colts, as well as the dismal Red Right 88 loss to the Raiders on a cold January Sunday in 1981.
Shanley also was a long time sports anchor for WEWS Channel 5. He made national headlines for his burning of the Iranian flag during this live broadcast in the early days of the ugly Iranian Hostage crisis.
#5 Jim Donovan
There once was a time when local news channel personalities were more than just reporters; they were regional icons. Names like Dick Goddard, Dorothy Fuldheim, Wilma Smith, Don Webster, Ted Henry, and Gib Shanley. Jim Donovan deserves to be right along side those legends.
Jim is a native of Boston, but he has become a Clevelander through and through. He is has been the sports anchor at WKYC Channel 3 since 1986, and has been the play-by-play voice of the Browns since their return from exile in 1999.
Jim not only brings great enthusiasm to the games; he also incorporates great humor and wit, while also relating to (and empathizing with) his Cleveland audience. He is not just a broadcaster. He is a friend. And he has been in the prayers of many of us during his courageous battle with leukemia. I am proud to say I got to shake his hand, speak with him briefly, and introduce my sons to him at a Browns’ training camp practice.
Here is a great Donovan call of a William Green touchdown run.
How about a couple of Phil Dawson snow bowl field goals.
#4 Tony Rizzo
Tony worked for many years as a sportscaster for the Fox 8 News. He earned this lofty ranking, however, primarily due to his stellar performance for the last decade as the host of The Really Big Show on 850 WKNR. He is by far the best radio talk show host I have ever heard, local or national. He avoids the two common sports talk traps that most other hosts fall into:
1. Mr. ‘Know-It -All’
2. Negative Ned
Tony flips this on end by magnificently pulling off the deadly 1-2 combo of being every fan’s best bud as well as the life of the party. He sounds like he is having a lot of fun, which infects both his radio show sidekicks and the listening audience. He does this while incorporating solid, professional sports knowledge.
Cleveland fans love him because he is one of them. He wears his fandom, his frustrations, his fun, and his joy on his sleeve.
I would put the following Top 3 against any other media market trio…
#3 Tom Hamilton
“Swing and a DRIVE!………..DEEP LEFT FIELD!…………WAY BACK!………..GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Hammy has been spreading his infectious energy over the radio waves for 27 Indian seasons now. He was the perfect fit those exciting powerhouse Tribe teams in the 1990s. Though he can be a bit of a homer, he isn’t afraid to call out the Indians when they make mistakes.
I think Times Reporter Sports Editor Hank Keathley is a little disappointed that I didn’t have Hammy at #1 (check the end of his 2014 article).
#2 Joe Tait
“WHAM with the right hand!”
This guy is Mr. Cleveland Cavalier. He did the Cavs radio play-by-play from their inception in 1970 all the way until his retirement in 2011 (other than two years in the early 1980s after inept owner Ted Stepien replaced him).
Joe was able to paint a masterpiece portrait of each game with his vibrant, succinct words, powerful energy, witty humor, and an occasional tactfully placed dagger. And his passion for the game was always apparent. Just listen to his call during the clinching game 7 of the Miracle in Richfield in 1976.
Joe also did separate stints radio and TV stints as the Indians’ play-by-play voice in the 1970s and 80s. I will always remember being a 10-year-old boy watching and listening on a cold spring Friday night in 1981 as he called the last out–a catch by Rick Manning– to seal Len Barker’s perfect game.
#1 Nev Chandler
“Pandemonium Palace!”
It’s hard to put anyone ahead of Joe Tait, but Nev Chandler gets the nod in my book. He did Indians’ radio play-by-play (where he did Barker’s perfect game). I can remember him doing Cavs’ TV games when World B. Free and company almost knocked off the defending champion Celtics.
But he was most known as the voice of the Browns during the heyday of the Bernie Kosar/Dawg defense era. He simply did a great job in both describing and capturing the energy of the game, no matter the sport. Here is his great call from the 1993 Steelers’ game when Eric Metcalf returned his second punt for a touchdown to seal the game.
Unfortunately, Nev’s life was tragically cut short due to colon cancer less than a year later. But he will live forever not only on the internet, but as the voice of some of our favorite Browns’ memories.
These are my rankings. Who do is your favorite Cleveland announcer? CLICK HERE TO VOTE