Al McCoy (announcer)
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Al McCoy, The Voice Of The Suns, has been the radio broadcast announcer of Phoenix Suns NBA basketball 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). He is a resident of Arizona, but a native of Williams, Iowa.
McCoy is a graduate of Drake University. His first job in radio was at KJFJ in Webster City, Iowa. He later worked for three years at WHO (AM) in Des Moines[1], and he is still a frequent guest on "Two Guys Named Jim,"[2] a sports-talk show on WHO.
Prior to joining the Phoenix 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.
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.
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.
For example, "Shazam! A Bell Ringer from Raja Bell!" is a common phrase that McCoy expresses everytime Raja Bell makes a 3-point shot.
He also has nicknames for individual players such as The Nash Rambler for Steve Nash and the Matrix for Shawn Marion.
[edit] References
The nickname "The Matrix" for Shawn Marion is generally attributed to former NBA star and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, not McCoy.
[edit] External References
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