Eli Gold is grappling.
The longtime play-by-play voice of Alabama football can’t often be caught at a loss for words — he’s spent a career in radio, after all — and true to form, he hasn’t been tongue-tied in the wake of this week’s revelation of his and the Crimson Tide Sports Network’s less-than-amicable parting after 35 years. But at the end of what had to be a tumultuous week for the 70-year-old who’s spent half his Fall Saturdays from the broadcast perch at Alabama football games, a conversation about his favorite calls, fondest memories, and opinions on the very best players he saw left him at a bit of a loss.
“So many great players and games over so many years, it’s a little much to put your arms around,” Gold said.
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The calls that stand out include the Terrence Cody blocked field goal that beat Tennessee in 2009, known as “Rocky Block,” that saved an undefeated season. A 28-yard touchdown on a screen pass to T.J. Yeldon that ignited a 21-17 win at LSU in 2012, and of course, Tua Tagovailoa’s 2nd-and-26 touchdown pass that lifted the Crimson Tide to a CFP win over Georgia. All three of those were pivotal moments in national championship seasons.
It gets harder for Gold to sift through the dozens of All-Americans and 194 eventual NFL draft picks from Alabama whose names he called since his first season in the booth. Fifty-three of those draft picks were first-round selections, so trying to rank the best of them is fool’s work for Gold, but he acknowledges that a few, beyond being immensely talented, were transformational in one way or another.
Running back Shaun Alexander, who led an…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eli-gold-reflects-35-years-100828603.html
Author : The Tuscaloosa News
Publish date : 2024-02-26 10:08:28
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