Al McCoy, Voice of the Phoenix Suns, to be Inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame
The Phoenix Suns' Al McCoy, who's broadcasted games for 35 years, will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame September 7-8 in Springfield, MA.
Al McCoy will receive the 2007 Curt Gowdy Media Award during festivities Sept. 7-8 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The award is annually awarded to a print and electronic journalist. Malcom Moran, a former USA Today and New York Times writer, also will be honored.
The award, given annually to one member of print and electronic media, is typically reserved for national figures. But the 35-year Suns broadcaster is a Valley institution who made his mark describing the action in lively lines like "hoop-de-doo for two" and the three-pointer exclamation: "Shazaam!"
Al is a staple for Suns fans, whether from hosting pre & post games on channel 45 or broadcasting games on the radio. He's well respected in the broadcasting industry and the Curt Gowdy award is a reflection of that. McCoy has also come up with some great nicknames for players and catch-phrases (and some not so great) during his tenure w/ the Suns.
Since 1972, he has been telling radio listeners what is happening on the court. He's created catch phrases like "Heartbreak Hotel" when a shot goes awry and "zing go the strings" when it sinks the net.
Through the Suns dynasties, he has coined nicknames for beloved players from the Nash Rambler to Sir Charles Barkley and Walter Davis, the man with the velvet touch.
I'm not sure “dynasties“ was the right way to phrase the Suns (how many titles have they won? 0)... back to celebrating McCoy.
Throughout the years, we've come to know exactly what to expect when we turn on the radio or the TV to listen to Al's play-by-play and game conversation.
In an era where sports are big business and even the announcers are minor celebrities, McCoy has stuck with calling the plays.
"The game is still the most important thing, not where the announcer had his dinner last night," he said. "Precision, accuracy in description and letting the game be the story" Schulte said of his lessons. More from AZ Republic
Congratulations to Al McCoy for the great honor; he's very deserving for the hard work he's done for the Phoenix Suns and Arizona.