Eli Gold to Receive 2019 NFF Chris Schenkel Award
7/18/2019 10:31:00 AM | Football
The voice of the Crimson Tide to be honored for distinguished career in broadcasting
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama broadcaster Eli Gold has been named the recipient of the 2019 NFF Chris Schenkel Award The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced this morning.
Presented annually since 1996, the award recognizes individuals who have had long, distinguished careers broadcasting college football with direct ties to a specific university. The award is named in honor of its inaugural recipient Chris Schenkel, the longtime ABC Sports broadcaster who emceed the NFF Annual Awards Dinner for 28 consecutive years from 1968 to 1995.
"Eli Gold has been the iconic 'Voice of the Crimson Tide' for more than 30 years, broadcasting some of the most memorable games for one of the most successful football programs in college football history," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "His calls of 'Touchdown Alabama!' are a familiar and beloved sound to the Crimson Tide faithful each fall. We are pleased to honor him with the 2019 NFF Chris Schenkel Award in recognition of his distinguished career."
Gold will enter his 31st season as the "Voice of the Crimson Tide" in 2019, having started his time calling Alabama football games in 1989. He also serves as the play-by-play commentator for Alabama basketball and hosts "Hey Coach & The Nick Saban Show" on the Crimson Tide Sports Network every Thursday during the football season. With Gold on the call, the Crimson Tide have claimed six national titles in eight championship game appearances, nine SEC championships and bowl games in all but four of his 30 seasons.
He has handled various other play-by-play assignments over the years, serving as the primary voice of NASCAR for 41 years before stepping away from the auto-racing track. Gold also spent 12 years as a professional hockey announcer, including stints with the NHL's St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators, and he was the first play-by-play announcer for the UAB Blazers basketball team. He also spent four years as the voice of the Birmingham Barons baseball team (Double-A, Chicago White Sox), and he was named the Southern League's Broadcaster of the Year in 1983. Gold has called Arena Football League games for Comcast Sports, FOX Sports Net, NBC Sports and TNN, as well as NFL and college football bowl games on SportsUSA Radio.
Outside of his play-by-play duties, Gold was the sports director for WERC Radio in Birmingham, Alabama, and for six years he hosted a nightly sports call-in show called "Calling All Sports." He then served as sports director with WBRC-TV Channel 6 in Birmingham, where he anchored three sportscasts each evening and also hosted a weekly call-in show "Sports Talk With Eli."
A five-time Alabama Sportscaster of the Year, Gold is enshrined in the State of Alabama Sports and the University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences halls of fame. Gold and his wife, Claudette, reside in Birmingham, Ala., and Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., and have a daughter, Elise. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Gold started his sports broadcasting career in 1972, working as a weekend sports reporter with the Mutual Broadcasting System.
Gold will officially be honored during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10 in New York alongside the recipients of the other NFF Major Awards, including famed actor and former UCLA quarterback Mark Harmon, who will accept the organization's highest honor the NFF Gold Medal, as well as recently retired NC State director of athletics Deborah Yow (NFF John L. Toner Award for excellence in athletics administration) and the yet-to-be announced recipient of the NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaFTBL on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaFBL on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
