View source for Al McCoy (sportscaster)

{{Short description|American sports announcer (1933–2024)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Al McCoy
| other_names  = The Voice of the Suns
| birth_name   = Allen Leonard McCoy
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1933|4|26}}
| birth_place  = [[Williams, Iowa]], U.S.
| death_date   = {{death date and age|2024|9|21|1933|4|26}}
| death_place  =
| education    = [[Drake University]]<br />[[University of Iowa]]
| occupation=Sportscaster
| years_active = 1950–2023
| spouse       = {{Marriage|Koharig Shahanian|1958|2012|reason=died}}
| children     = 3 (Michael, Jay, Jerry)
| module       = {{infobox sports announcer details
| genre        = [[Play-by-play]]
| sport        = {{hlist|[[Basketball]]|[[baseball]]|[[ice hockey]]|[[American football|football]]||[[boxing]]|[[pro wrestling]]|}}
| team = {{ubl|[[Phoenix Giants]] (1958–59, 1966–69)|[[Arizona State Sun Devils football|Arizona State Sun Devils]] (1960–1966)|[[Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL)|Phoenix Roadrunners]] (1967–1972)|[[Phoenix Suns]] (1972–2023)|[[Arizona Diamondbacks]] (1998–2001)}}
}}
}}
'''Allen Leonard McCoy''' (April 26, 1933 – September 21, 2024) was an American [[sportscaster]] who was the [[play-by-play announcer]] for the [[Phoenix Suns]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] from 1972 to 2023.<ref>{{cite web|last=McCoy |first=Al |url=http://www.nba.com/features/mccoy_070306.html |title=Broadcaster of the Week: Al McCoy, Phoenix Suns |work=NBA.com |date=2007-03-06 |access-date=2013-03-31}}</ref> The [[2022–23 Phoenix Suns season|2022–23 NBA season]] was his 51st and final season.  He is the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Coro |first1=Paul |title=Al McCoy to be inducted into Suns Ring of Honor |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2016/10/26/al-mccoy-inducted-into-suns-ring-honor/92803330/ |website=AZCentral.com |access-date=18 October 2022}}</ref>
Along with [[Chick Hearn]], [[Hot Rod Hundley]] and [[Kevin Calabro]], he was among the last of NBA broadcasters to have been [[simulcast]] on both [[television]] and [[radio]], before league-officials ended the practice in the mid-2000's<ref name="McCoy's-Book">{{cite book |last1=McCoy |first1=Al |last2=Wolfe |first2=Rich |title=The Real McCoy |date=2009 |publisher=Lone Wolfe Press |isbn=9780980097870}}</ref> and McCoy's broadcasts became exclusive to radio and [[online streaming]] via the [[#Suns Radio Network|Suns Radio Network]].
His fast-paced, classical broadcasting style coupled with his colorful use of [[catchphrase]] to distinguish plays has proven influential to a generation of sportscasters, such as lead [[NBA on ABC]] play-by-play announcer [[Mike Breen]], who remarked of McCoy as "one of my heroes" during live [[ESPN]] coverage of the [[NBA Conference Finals|2021 Western Conference Finals]].   [[Steve Albert]] said "I put him up there with [[Vin Scully]] and [[Ernie Harwell]], and all the greats, all the legends."<ref name="Suns-hangout">{{cite web |title=Suns Broadcaster Hangout |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufeu-xcaiDw |website=Phoenix Suns Official YouTube Channel |publisher=Phoenix Suns |access-date=14 October 2022}}</ref>
McCoy is a [[Curt Gowdy Media Award]] winner and a member of the [[Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor]].  Despite these accolades, [[The Arizona Republic]] would later detail the circumstances leading to his forced displacement to the back of the Suns arena upon his final season,<ref name="McCoy-Removal-AZRepublicR">{{cite web |last1=Ruelas |first1=Richard |title=Where did Al go? Why Suns legendary broadcaster is no longer courtside |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/04/28/phoenix-suns-move-announcer-al-mccoy-from-calling-games-courtside/70132665007/ |website=AZCentral.com |publisher=The Arizona Republic |access-date=2 June 2023}}</ref> after 50 previous seasons on the [[Basketball_court|floor]] next to the Suns players' bench in a courtside spot once-named "the best seat in the house" in his own Ring of Honor speech.<ref name="McCoyROH-Vid">{{cite web |title=Al McCoy inducted into Suns Ring of Honor |url=https://www.facebook.com/BallySportsArizona/videos/al-mccoy-inducted-into-suns-ring-of-honor/10154164878450997/ |website=Facebook |publisher=Bally Sports Arizona |access-date=2 June 2023}}</ref>  The Arizona Republic also published a photo gallery showing 90-year-old Al McCoy walking up the long flights of concrete steps to the higher arena location Suns personnel moved him to finish his career.<ref name="McCoy-removalphoto-AZRepublic">{{cite web |last1=Schumacher |first1=Rob |title=In his final season with Phoenix Suns, announcer Al McCoy moved from courtside. |url=https://www.azcentral.com/picture-gallery/news/local/phoenix/2023/04/26/phoenix-suns-move-announcer-al-mccoy-from-longtime-courtside-spot/11746647002/ |website=AZCentral.com |publisher=The Arizona Republic}}</ref>
==Early life==
Born in 1933 in the small town of [[Williams, Iowa]], Al McCoy grew up on a [[farm]] outside the area with no [[electricity]] or [[Tap water|running water]] throughout his early childhood.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />  To entertain himself as a boy on the farm, he would often read [[comic books]] or listen to his family's [[battery-powered]] radio.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
At an early age, he became enamored with both the local and [[broadcast syndication|nationally-syndicated]] [[broadcasting of sports events|sportscasts]] picked up through the area's [[AM radio]] frequencies.   The sounds of golden-age broadcasters like [[Bert Wilson (sportscaster)|Bert Wilson]], [[Don Dunphy]], [[Bill Stern]], along with [[Pat Flanagan (sportscaster)|Pat Flanagan]], [[Jack Brickhouse]] and [[Harry Caray]], would propel his childhood imagination, provide future inspiration and fuel a lifelong passion for [[sports]] and broadcasting.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />  As a growing boy, he would sometimes prop himself on the farm's fence posts and broadcast [[fantasy (psychology)|fantasy]] play-by-play for a crowd of the family's pigs and cattle, imagining himself at [[Chicago Stadium]], [[Madison Square Garden]] or famed [[Boston Garden]].<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
[[File:McCoy-1950-yearbook.jpg|thumb|Al McCoy played starting point guard for the Williams High School basketball team.]]
In 1945, he attended the [[1945 World Series|World Series]] between the [[Chicago Cubs]] and [[Detroit Tigers]]. In the fall of 1948, he attended his first [[National Basketball Association]] (then-known as the [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]]) game as the [[Waterloo Hawks]] hosted league-MVP [[Don Otten]]'s [[Atlanta Hawks|Tri-Cities Black Hawks]], and would soon witness [[George Mikan]] play in-person during another game in Waterloo.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" /> He continued to scan the radio dial every night to hear the [[Joe Louis]] big boxing fights of the era, [[Chicago Cubs|Cubs]] broadcasts, national [[American football|football]], basketball, or any and every other sport he could get [[radio tuning|tuned]] through his [[Radio receiver|receiver]]. Concurrently, as an active youth with a basketball hoop now-propped up in a tree on the farm, he made the starting line-up of his high-school basketball team for three seasons, playing the position of [[point-guard]].  His high school Coach Chuck Lovin remembered McCoy as a "good shot" who was "intense" about everything he did in high school, from athletics to school plays.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
Around the same span of time, at the age of 14, he began playing [[jazz piano]] in a variety of local and touring small-piece and [[big bands]] at local area dances in the [[Midwestern United States|midwest-territory]] for extra income, a side-gig he would continue throughout college that would routinely have him home by 2.a.m. for 7 a.m. classes.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" /> One memorable night, he played as a sideman to famed jazz trumpeter [[Roy Eldridge]], who remembered and recognized him immediately upon their second meeting many years later, as McCoy attended a concert alongside [[Al Bianchi]] & [[John MacLeod (basketball)|John MacLeod]] following a Phoenix Suns game.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
===Education and early career===
{{Refimprove|section|date=September 2024}}
He attended [[Drake University]], majoring in [[Drama]]-[[Speech]] and minoring in [[Broadcast Journalism]].
Drake University did not formally offer a radio or broadcast major at the time, so McCoy signed up for as many radio classes as he could.  During his first year of classes he begged his [[professor]], the head of the radio department and [[Drake Relays]] announcer Jim Duncan to let him borrow a university [[tape recorder]] so he could [[Demo (music)|demo]] his play-by-play during a campus basketball game. Assuring McCoy it could wait until his junior or senior year, Professor Duncan relented after weeks of McCoy's ongoing persistence. Dropping his recording off early the next morning and eager for his professor's critique, he waited another couple weeks until finally being called into Duncan's office, who now demanded to know how long McCoy had been calling basketball games. Impressed by the level of detail in his first play-by-play recording, Duncan became McCoy's early supporter and [[mentor]] from that date forward.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
[[File:1954-yearbooks 21986 full.png|thumb|Al McCoy graduated from Drake University in 1954.]]
Also during his freshman year his first job in radio was at [[KZWC|KJFJ]] in [[Webster City, Iowa]], and he was soon hired by [[WHO]] in Des Moines, Iowa, working the night shift where was subsequently told by the person who hired him that he did not have a future in broadcasting, demoted from "[[broadcasting|on-air]]" talent and moved to production staff.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
Shaken by the experience, but undeterred from following his childhood dreams, McCoy left WHO for smaller family-run station [[KWDM]] to strengthen his play-by-play for a variety of different sports.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />  Amidst transition, he first encountered [[Chick Hearn]], then-broadcaster for [[Bradley University]], at a Bradley-Drake basketball game.  The two would remain friends until Hearn's passing in 2002, buying each other dinner when either were in [[Phoenix, AZ|Phoenix]] or [[Los Angeles]] for their future respective NBA teams, often reminiscing on their early days broadcasting in the midwest.  McCoy would later credit Hearn along with [[Marty Glickman]] as “blazing the trial” for basketball broadcasters in his Naismith Hall of Fame speech.
In 1954 McCoy graduated from Drake.  Testing his luck out west where some of his relatives had relocated, he spent a summer looking for radio work in [[Phoenix, Arizona]] and later [[Denver, Colorado]].  In both locations he found could not even land a single job interview and played [[piano]] to support himself, before applying for a graduate assistantship at the [[University of Iowa]].
During and following the year of graduate school McCoy ran the gamut of employers, bouncing around more local Iowa stations like [[KXIC]] where he kept area connections<ref name="WHO-2007-07">{{cite episode|title=July 15, 2007|series=Two Guys Named Jim|url=http://whoradio.com/pages/twoguysnamedjim.html|station=[[WHO (AM)]]|location=Des Moines, Iowa|airdate=2007-07-15|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907193814/http://www.whoradio.com/pages/twoguysnamedjim.html|archive-date=September 7, 2008}}</ref> and {{asof|2007|lc=y}} was still a frequent guest on "Two Guys Named Jim"—a sports-talk show on WHO.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://whoradio.com/pages/twoguysnamedjim.html |title=Two Guys Named Jim|date= July 1, 2007|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907193814/http://www.whoradio.com/pages/twoguysnamedjim.html |archive-date= September 7, 2008 }}</ref>  He would eventually move from Iowa City, to [[WBMX|WJJD]] in [[Chicago]], to [[WHLD]] in Niagara Falls where he commenced broadcasting a “[[Steve Allen]]-type” [[piano]]-meets-[[radio personality|disc jockey]] show for [[Buffalo, New York]] that was rejected by WHO.  Three weeks after moving to [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] amidst a decade of constant transition and upheaval, he found stability in the form of Georgia Shahinian, born Koharig Shahinian, meeting her at a birthday party for a mutual friend.  The two soon found themselves inseparable, and quickly became a daily part of each other's lives.
As his radio contract in Buffalo was set to expire, McCoy got a tip from [[New York Giants]] play-by-play broadcaster [[Russ Hodges]] that the team would be relocating to [[San Francisco, CA|San Francisco]] as their [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[farm team]] moved to [[Phoenix, Arizona]].  Both men felt McCoy had a good shot of securing the job.  With major life decisions to be made quickly, Georgia & Al McCoy were soon wed, hitching their lives on a [[Trailer (vehicle)|trailer]] attached to his '54 [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] with no [[air conditioning]], headed [[southwest]] in the [[summer]] of 1958.
===Early Phoenix career===
After getting married, Al & Georgia McCoy moved to [[Phoenix, AZ]] in the summer of 1958.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />   He was soon hired by [[KOOL-FM|KOOL]], scheduled broadcaster for the [[Phoenix Giants]], and he worked as the host of night-time radio shows for the station until the team completed their own move to the [[West Coast of the United States|west coast]].{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
[[File:AlMccoy Phoenix Giants advertisement KOOL-960.jpg|thumb|Advertisement for Phoenix Giants games on radio, 1958.]]
With the Phoenix Giants, McCoy broadcast the only baseball game in history to be postponed due to [[grasshoppers]], who collectively gathered around all the surrounding sources of light and placed the ball park in a shroud of darkness.  McCoy described exiting the ball park grounds as “like driving around in [[snow]]. There'd be a drift of grasshoppers in the street. you'd start sliding around.”<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
McCoy was occasionally visited during Phoenix Giants broadcasts by then-[[San Francisco Giants]] owner [[Horace Stoneham]], who often told McCoy he would become the next “Voice of the Giants” in [[Major League Baseball]].<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />   When the job was eventually offered, talk of a potential move of the team away from the west coast caused McCoy to decline, believing it to not be the “right fit.”  During another period in time when the Giants job was again presented, McCoy briefly contemplated broadcasting both Suns and Giants games, planning to make a decision later, but was ultimately glad he did not.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />   He would eventually one day fill-in as play-by-play for the San Francisco Giants for one single game, during a night the Suns were not playing.
The [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] team would also eventually leave Phoenix for Tacoma, WA due to a dispute over construction of a new ball park, while McCoy remained in Phoenix.  Once the park was built, the team returned.  In the interim five years without the Phoenix Giants, McCoy became "One of the Good Guys", a [[radio personality|DJ]] on [[KRUX]] 1360 AM.  While on KRUX in the 1960s he also did play-by-play for [[Arizona State University|ASU]] [[Arizona State Sun Devils|Sun Devil's]] football and basketball.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />   On local television stations [[KTVK]] and [[KTAR-TV]], he did [[Ring announcer|ring announcing]] work for [[boxing]] fights held at Phoenix Madison Square Garden, and also some [[professional wrestling]] commentary for the regional territory.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
McCoy parted ways with the Phoenix Giants three years after their return to Phoenix in 1966.  He would eventually return to baseball some 32-years later with the [[Arizona Diamondbacks]] during the club's first season in 1998, paired with [[Joe Garagiola Sr.|Joe Garagiola]].{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
As the [[Western Hockey League (1952–1974)|Western Hockey League]] expanded to Arizona in 1967, McCoy also began broadcasting for the [[Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL)|Phoenix Roadrunners]] during the Giants' off-season.  Less experienced with hockey, McCoy served as a color-commentator for two seasons before learning to do play-by-play for the ice on-the-fly after his broadcaster partner Jim Wells fell through a shower door.  McCoy found he enjoyed doing hockey play-by-play, and Wells' agreed that it would be a better fit if they switched roles after his recovery.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
As his ongoing commitments to the Phoenix Giants, the Phoenix Roadrunners and other radio stations transitioned, he began to observe a “buzz” in the city over a potential new NBA expansion team and quickly made inroads to secure a job with the new franchise as it was officially announced in 1968.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
==The Voice of the Suns==
Al McCoy served as the play-by-play "Voice of the Phoenix Suns" for 51 consecutive seasons, or every season excluding the first four years of franchise existence. He became a fixture of [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] media and local [[popular culture|pop-culture]] as the central broadcaster for the Phoenix Suns on both radio and television until 2003, when Suns TV and Suns radio became separate media.<ref name="SimulcastEnds-Leander">{{cite news |last1=Gintonio |first1=Jim |date=2003-07-07 |title=Suns end simulcast; Leander to call road games |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53911285/suns-end-simulcast-leander-to-call/ |work=The Arizona Republic |access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref> McCoy continued to broadcast on the [[#Suns Radio Network|Suns Radio Network]] through the [[2022-23 NBA season]].{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
For 50 consecutive seasons (barring [[remote broadcast]]s during the pandemic) his [[Footprint Center|official arena]] broadcast location had been stationed courtside, adjacent to the Suns players' home bench, as recent as May 2022.<ref name="BookerSignsJersey">{{cite web |last1=Cluff |first1=Jeremy |title=Devin Booker celebrates Phoenix Suns' franchise record by giving Al McCoy signed jersey |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/devin-booker-celebrates-phoenix-suns-171444621.html |website=Yahoo! Sports |publisher=The Arizona Republic |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref>  He stopped broadcasting road games in 2019 due to difficult vantage points at higher locations in other NBA arenas.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
On October 2, 2022, his home broadcast location was moved higher up in the Suns arena, just beneath the [[skybox (sports)|skyboxes]] in the [[Footprint Center]].<ref name=McCoyLocationChange>{{Cite tweet |first=Jon |last=Bloom |user=JonBloom |number=1576754002254958592 |title=A new view, but the same Hall of Fame voice of the Suns, Al McCoy ready to rock the mic for season #51.}}</ref>
===The NBA arrives in Phoenix (1966–1972)===
In the fall of 1966 McCoy completed his first NBA broadcast during a [[preseason]] game at [[Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum]] between the [[St. Louis Hawks]] and [[Golden State Warriors]]. Thrilled by the idea of professional basketball in Phoenix upon announcement of the scheduled game, he phoned the Hawks GM and brokered a deal for his then-employer [[KOOL-FM]] to broadcast the game in exchange for free [[advertising]] spots, making sure to record his broadcast as a demo for a potential future in basketball.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
Two years later in 1968, the [[city of Phoenix]] was granted an expansion team that would become the Phoenix Suns.  Immediately, prior to the start of the first season, McCoy slipped then-General Manager [[Jerry Colangelo]] a recording of that 1966 preseason game.  Colangelo was blown away by what he heard and wanted McCoy to handle play-by-play for the team on planned broadcasts on local [[KTAR (AM)|KTAR-AM]] and [[KPNX|KTAR-TV]].<ref name="McCoy's-Book" /> Tired of moving around from radio gig to radio gig, and seeking stability for his now-family of a wife and three sons, McCoy suggested Colangelo retain broadcast rights instead of selling them to another station, the routine [[sportscast]] policy of the time.  McCoy suggested producing everything in-house, which was a new concept for the era. Colangelo liked McCoy's pitch, but after inaugural season tickets were underselling, he ultimately decided to sell the rights to KTAR.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" /> Believing it was no longer the right move, McCoy declined working out a separate deal with the station.
Following multiple changes in Suns broadcasters over the next four seasons, GM and head coach Jerry Colangelo would eventually agree with McCoy about the Suns organization producing their own broadcasts, realizing he was often competing with the radio and television stations for Suns advertising.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />   With one year left before the broadcast rights reverted to the organization, McCoy agreed to a contract with the Suns as Vice President of Broadcasting.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
===The simulcast era (1972-2003)===
In 1972, McCoy broadcast his first game with the Suns, alongside Hot Rod Hundley, during the NBA preseason hosted by [[American Basketball Association|ABA]] team the [[Utah Stars]].<ref name="McCoy's-Book" /> Initially, McCoy would handle production of both the radio and TV broadcasts by himself. He would hire a television crew in each city for road games after arriving in the destination city. He handled his own [[audio engineer]]ing and would, on an occasion or two, have to broadcast games via [[telephone]] due to technical difficulties. He helped sell advertising and would meet with any potential clients alongside Jerry Colangelo.  McCoy observed, "maybe 8 people in the entire front office" when he was hired, first-hand witnessing the Suns organization's gradual and eventual growth into a company that now employs hundreds.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
The first Triple-Overtime game in [[NBA Finals]] history, Game 5 of the [[1976 NBA Finals]] at Boston Garden, was memorable in many ways to McCoy, who broadcast the game directly beside a group of rowdy, inebriated [[Boston Celtics|Celtics]]' fans, one of whom passed out on McCoy's lap amidst the frenzy as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" by [[Gar Heard]] sent the game into league-history. McCoy deftly pushed the fan off his lap and onto the floor mid-sentence as he continued his broadcast unabated.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
He was also courtside, live on the air for the second Triple-Overtime game in NBA Finals History during Game 3 of the [[1993 NBA Finals]] between the [[Charles Barkley]]-led Phoenix Suns and [[Michael Jordan]]'s [[Chicago Bulls]].
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Phoenix Suns Radio and TV simulcast, early 200s.jpg|thumb|right|The final years and final broadcast team for the [[Phoenix Suns]] longtime [[radio]]/[[TV]] [[simulcast]] format, circa 2000s.  Al McCoy continues on radio, [[Eddie Johnson (basketball, born 1959)|Eddie Johnson]] continues on TV.{{Deletable file-caption|Saturday, 11 March 2023|F7}}]] -->
The NBA's adoption of the [[Three-point field goal]] in 1979 would prove as influential to McCoy's career, as it would to modern basketball, itself. Upon its integration into the league, McCoy viewed the shot as the equivalent of a [[home-run]] in [[baseball]]. Noting that every baseball announcer has their own "signature call" for home-runs, he questioned what his NBA call could be. Thinking back to his childhood on the farm, his favorite comic book, [[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]], and the moment mild-mannered Billy Batson transformed into the mighty Captain Marvel by shouting the word, "SHAZAM!" to a flurry of thunder and lightning, McCoy believed this phrase - an acronym for the first initials of [[Solomon]], [[Hercules]], [[Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]], [[Zeus]], [[Achilles]] and [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]] - would convey the proper level of enormity and distinction he felt the shot deserved.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
In July 2003, after 31 years of being simulcast on both television and radio, the Suns organization relented to growing NBA pressure to end the simulcast format after then Suns General Manager [[Bryan Colangelo]] felt a younger presence would be better suited to TV.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" /> McCoy agreed to move to radio-only broadcasts on the previously established [[#Suns Radio Network|Suns Radio Network]] and was replaced on television play-by-play with Tom Leander, continuing with McCoy's then-color-commentator and broadcast partner [[Eddie Johnson (basketball, born 1959)|Eddie "EJ" Johnson]].<ref name="SimulcastEnds-Leander" />
===Radio days and industry recognition (2003–2022)===
Al McCoy continued to broadcast on radio and online web streaming exclusively, paired with former Sun [[Tim Kempton]] (''See [[#Suns Radio Network|Suns Radio Network]]'').{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
On the December 30, 2005, game against the Chicago Bulls, McCoy's consecutive broadcasting streak officially ended due to illness when he woke up in Chicago with a hoarse throat. After finishing his pregame show, it was decided to run mostly audio of the TV broadcast with McCoy adding commentary for small moments, fully returning to the airwaves by the next game.<ref name="hof-tribune">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Jerry |title=Shazam! McCoy to receive Hall of Fame honor |url=https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/shazam-mccoy-to-receive-hall-of-fame-honor/article_20579953-c85f-5288-a723-90d7c1c0cfb8.html |website=EasyValleyTribune.com |publisher=East Valley Tribune |access-date=18 October 2022}}</ref>
He was honored by the [[Naismith Hall of Fame]] on September 5, 2007, when he became the 17th recipient of the [[Curt Gowdy Media Award]] for broadcasters at a ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts.<ref name="hof-tribune" /> He thanked his college professor, his high school basketball coach and Jerry Colangelo in his induction speech, and also highlighted the work of fellow basketball broadcasters [[Marty Glickman]] and [[Chick Hearn]].<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
The next month, on October 5, 2007, then-team president [[Rick Welts]] and Suns managing partner [[Robert Sarver]] unveiled the Al McCoy Media Center, its walls and pillars adorned with photos, history, play-by-play quotes, and words of encouragement and respect from fellow NBA broadcasters honoring the life and career of Al McCoy, in the newly renamed arena [[pressroom]].<ref name="NBA-roh-announce">{{cite web |last1=phxccunningham |title=Suns to Induct Al McCoy Into Ring of Honor on March 3 |url=https://www.nba.com/suns/press-release/phoenix-suns-induct-al-mccoy-ring-honor-march-3 |website=NBA.com |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref>
McCoy returned to television play-by-play for one night on August 22, 2014, broadcasting the [[WNBA]] playoff opening game between the [[Phoenix Mercury]] hosting the [[Los Angeles Sparks]] for [[NBATV]].<ref name="wnba">{{cite web |last1=Coro |first1=Paul |title=Al McCoy will do play-by-play for Game 1 of Phoenix Mercury's WNBA playoff opener |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/wnba/mercury/2014/08/19/al-mccoy-play-by-play-game-1-phoenix-mercury-wnba-playoff-opener/14294121/ |website=AZCentral.com |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref>
On October 26, 2016, during a Suns home game against the [[Oklahoma City Thunder]], he officially became the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA History, surpassing Chick Hearn of the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] previous broadcasting record.<ref name=ROHannounce>{{cite web |last1=Coro |first1=Paul |title=Al McCoy to be inducted into Suns Ring of Honor |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2016/10/26/al-mccoy-inducted-into-suns-ring-honor/92803330/ |website=azcentral.com |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref> At halftime of the record-setting game, the arena ran a video montage before Suns managing partner Robert Sarver announced that McCoy would become the 15th member of the Suns Ring of Honor, as McCoy wiped a tear from his eye.<ref name="ROHannounce" />
He was inducted into the [[Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor]] on March 3, 2017, the Suns dedicated their game-winning performance to McCoy, a night which included special messages to McCoy from former Suns [[Steve Nash]] and [[Jason Kidd]] during timeouts, and a halftime honor from the vast majority of fellow Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor members.<ref name=ROH-USAToday>{{cite web |title=Russell Westbrook's 48 points not enough for Thunder against Suns |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/03/03/suns-upend-thunder-on-broadcaster-al-mccoys-big-night/98730270/ |website=usatoday.com |publisher=Gannett |access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref> In his induction speech, McCoy thanked the organization, the fans and emphasized that "every player that has ever put on a Suns uniform... is special to me, always will be," adding that he still very much feels the thrill of the game when the ball goes in the air, concluding,
{{blockquote|If you will continue to accept me, and if God keeps smiling on me, I'm just gonna keep going.<ref name="ROH-USAToday" />}}
On March 2, 2022, he was again honored by the Suns with "Al McCoy Night"<ref name="McCoy50-NBA.com">{{cite web |last1=phxmyramirez |title=SHAZAM! Suns to Honor Broadcasting Legend Al McCoy and His 50th Season |url=https://www.nba.com/suns/news/shazam-suns-honor-broadcasting-legend-al-mccoy-and-his-50th-season |website=NBA.com |access-date=22 February 2022}}</ref> in celebration of his 50th Season with the franchise, during a home game against the [[Portland Trail Blazers]]. Video tributes played in the arena, on Suns television and posted on social media featured messages from [[Commissioner of the NBA|NBA commissioner]] [[Adam Silver]], the [[Inside the NBA]] crew, and Steve Nash along with former and current Suns players. Longtime Suns TV color-commentator [[Eddie Johnson (basketball, born 1959)|Eddie Johnson]] shared memories of working together with McCoy in his first years on the job, during the last years of the [[simulcast]]. And for one brief moment of a segment, the simulcast was brought back to television for the first time in 19-years as Suns TV ran audio of the live radio broadcast accompanied by live video of McCoy at courtside describing the action. Not interrupting his radio broadcast and during an untelevised timeout, McCoy was given a standing ovation by screaming fans at the Footprint Center as Suns P.A. announced his name to the sold-out arena.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
The next month, immediately after the Suns set a new franchise record for the regular season on April 5, 2022, Suns player [[Devin Booker]] went to the side, signed his game jersey (writing "To Al, the legend. Franchise record!") and presented it to Al McCoy at his longtime courtside broadcast position (which would end upon his removal from courtside on October 4, 2022),<ref name="Booker-jersey-explain">{{cite web |last1=Rankin |first1=Duane |title='I want to give Al this jersey': Devin Booker shares moment with 'Voice of Suns' Al McCoy |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2022/04/07/devin-booker-al-mccoy-share-another-special-moment-after-63rd-win/9503491002/ |website=AZCentral.com |publisher=The Arizona Republic |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref> as he shook both of McCoy's hands and congratulated him, saying "50th season, baby!  Franchise record. Love you, man. Appreciate you, for real."<ref name="Booker-Al-Courtside">{{cite web |title= Devin Booker gives signed jersey to Al McCoy after franchise record win  |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKanaJbsG9g |website=Official Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Channel |publisher=Arizona Sports |access-date=14 October 2022}}</ref>
Five days later on April 10, 2022, [[List of mayors of Phoenix|Mayor of Phoenix]] [[Kate Gallego]] issued an official [[proclamation]] declaring the date as "Al McCoy Day" in the city of Phoenix, in honor of his 50th season and "to say thank you for guiding us through so many Suns victories and helping us celebrate with a 'Whammo' or 'SHAZAM!' when we needed it the most."<ref>{{Cite tweet |author=Phoenix Suns (Official Account) |user=Suns |number=1513200032966602760 |title=4.10.22: Al McCoy Day}}</ref>
On December 17, 2022, he served as the Grand Marshal of the 2022 [[Fiesta Bowl Parade]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Dana |title=Phoenix Suns radio announcer Al McCoy introduced as Fiesta Bowl Parade's Grand Marshal |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2022/09/13/fiesta-bowl-parade-names-suns-announcer-al-mccoy-grand-marshal/10367383002/ |website=AZCentral.com |publisher=The Arizona Republic |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref>
===Final seasons and retirement (2022–2023)===
McCoy was vocal in his opposition of NBA teams and [[List of National Basketball Association arenas|NBA arenas]] increasingly moving the broadcast locations for radio crews away from the [[basketball court|floor]] and placing them in locations high above courtside where portions of the [[basketball court|court]] are partially obscured.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" /> McCoy states in many of these arenas as a result it's difficult to keep track of the [[three-point field goal]]. He often highlights a story of broadcaster [[Joe Tait]] telling his listening audience during a live play-by-play call that the three-point shot was good "by a player to be named later," due to the angle in [[TD Garden]] blocking vantage beyond the three point arc.<ref name=Podcast-Pasch>{{cite podcast |host=Dave Pasch |title=The Dave Pasch Podcast |website=AZCardinals.com |publisher=The Arizona Cardinals |date=26 October 2022 |url=https://www.azcardinals.com/audio/the-dave-pasch-podcast-al-mccoy |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref>
McCoy wrote in his [[autobiography]] that he prefers broadcasting courtside not only for the complete view of the court, but also because it enables him to keep on top of personnel changes, player and [[basketball coach|coach]] interactions, clarification of [[referee]] calls, and the general flow of the game for the listening audience.<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
When fellow broadcasting veteran [[Hot Rod Hundley]]'s courtside position for the [[Utah Jazz]] was moved higher up in the [[Vivint Arena]] following the conclusion of the [[Utah]] [[simulcast]] in 2005, he retired a mere four-years later by 2009 due to the increased strain on his hips and knees. In an essay included in McCoy's autobiography, Hundley described offering fans seated around him his [[binoculars]], writing "It's terrible from upstairs. We make mistakes. On the [[basketball court|floor]] you would never miss a beat."<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Suns Radio Network, Footprint Center, New Home Broadcast Location, Oct. 2022.jpeg|thumb|right|New [[Phoenix Suns|Suns]] Radio home games broadcast location, October 2022, high above the [[Footprint Center]].  Formerly located [[basketball court|courtside]] for all previous seasons in franchise existence.{{Deletable file-caption|Saturday, 11 March 2023|F7}}]] -->
At the start of the [[2010–11 NBA season]] McCoy began reducing his road games schedule for "select East Coast road trips."  By the [[2018-19 NBA season]] he had decided to retire from broadcasting road games altogether.  When asked in an interview with ESPN announcer [[Dave Pasch]] why he has elected to stop traveling, McCoy stressed the increasingly poor broadcast locations for radio broadcasters and emphasized,
{{blockquote|Over the last couple of years I had decided that I didn't want my career to end when the listeners or the viewers would say "What's wrong with McCoy, doesn't he know who's shooting three-pointers or what's going on?"<ref name="Podcast-Pasch" />}}
On October 2, 2022, ahead of the [[2022–23 Phoenix Suns season|2022-2023 NBA Season]], Al McCoy's Suns home game broadcast location since 1972 and as recent as the [[2022 NBA Playoffs]] in May 2022<ref name="Booker-Al-Courtside" /> was moved from its longtime courtside position on the floor to higher up in the arena,<ref name="McCoyLocationChange" /> many rows up at the back of the 100s sections, closer to the [[skybox (sports)|skybox-area]] of the [[Footprint Center]].
Video confirming McCoy's new distant broadcast location was posted to the [[KMVP-FM|Arizona Sports]] official YouTube channel on February 24, 2023, recorded during a post-game interview with [[Ish Wainright]].<ref name="New-location">{{cite web |title="If I'm talking to you (Al McCoy) then that's a good thing." Ish Wainright after the Suns victory |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrNuqHyBN6Y |website=Arizona Sports Official YouTube Channel |publisher=Arizona Sports |access-date=14 March 2023}}</ref>
==Death==
McCoy died on September 21, 2024, at the age of 91.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2024/09/27/phoenix-suns-nba-discussing-options-to-honor-al-mccoy/75401240007/|title = Sources: Phoenix Suns, NBA discussing ways to honor 'Voice of the Suns' Al McCoy|last = Rankin|first = Duane|date = September 27, 2024|accessdate = September 28, 2024|newspaper = [[The Arizona Republic]]|quote = McCoy peacefully passed away last Saturday at the age of 91.}}</ref>
==Broadcast calls and notable phrases==
{{Unsourced section|date=March 2023}}
===Catchphrases===
*"SHAZAM!" for [[Three-point field goal|3-point shots]]. McCoy viewed the NBA's adoption of the three-point field goal in 1979 as "like a [[home run]]", and felt this acronym for "[[Solomon]], [[Hercules]], [[Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]], [[Zeus]], [[Achilles]] and [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]]" from his childhood comic book hero [[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]] would be fitting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/suns/blog/suns-legend-al-mccoy-shares-origin-story-shazam-call|title=Suns Legend Al McCoy Shares Origin Story of 'Shazam' Call|website=Phoenix Suns}}</ref>
*"Whammo!", "Whammo Time!", or "Wham Bam Slam!" for [[slam dunks]].
*"Oh, Brother!" after moments of surprise and intensity.
*"[[Heartbreak Hotel]]" when a player narrowly misses a shot or the Suns lose a game.
*"''Do You Believe It?!''" when the Suns make a [[Comeback (sports)|comeback]].
*"Put This One in the 'Ol [[deep freezer|Deep Freeze]]" when the game's outcome is imminent.
*"Swish-a-roo for Two!" when a player easily sinks a two-point field goal.
[[File:Al McCoy Shirts at Phoenix Suns team shop.jpg|thumb|alt=Rack of Al McCoy T-shirts showing his many catchphrases.|Rack of Al McCoy T-shirts sold at Suns team shop on "Al McCoy Night", featuring his many catchphrases in the mic design.]]
*"Zing Go the Strings!"
*"[[Twine]] Time!" referring to the twine of the net swishing.
*"[[Great Balls of Fire]]!" for [[Goal (ice hockey)|hockey goals]] by the [[Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL)|Phoenix Roadunners]], given to [[Mike Lange]], and for shots made by the Suns.
*"The Madhouse on McDowell" for original Suns arena [[Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum|Veterans Memorial Coliseum]], also attributed to [[Chick Hearn]].
*"The Purple Palace" for 90's [[Footprint Center|America West Arena]].
===Player nicknames===
* "The Man with the [[Velvet]] Touch" ([[Walter Davis (basketball)|Walter Davis]])
* "Sir Charles" ([[Charles Barkley]])
* "Thunder Dan" ([[Dan Majerle]])
* "The 'O' Show" ([[Oliver Miller]])
* "[[The Flying Dutchman]]" ([[Dick Van Arsdale]])
* "The [[Nash Rambler]]" ([[Steve Nash]])
* "[[Captain Kidd]]" ([[Jason Kidd]])
* "[[The Matrix]]" ([[Shawn Marion]]), also attributed to [[Kenny Smith]].
==Awards==
* [[Curt Gowdy Media Award]] from the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]],<ref>{{cite web |title=The Curt Gowdy Media Award(s) |url=https://www.hoophall.com/awards/curt-gowdy-media-awards/ |website=hoophall.com |publisher=Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref> 2007.
* [[Arizona Sports Hall of Fame]], 2009.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
* [[Arizona]] Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McPeek |first1=Jeramie |title=McCoy Inducted Into Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame |url=https://www.nba.com/suns/news/mccoy_halloffame_110210.html |website=NBA.com |publisher=National Basketball Association |access-date=9 February 2023}}</ref>
* [[Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor]] member, 2017.
* [[Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards]] gold circle member, 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Arizona Sports |title=Voice of the Suns Al McCoy honored by Rocky Mountain Emmys |url=https://arizonasports.com/story/3322748/voice-of-the-suns-al-mccoy-honored-by-rocky-mountain-emmys/ |work=ArizonaSports.com |date=October 3, 2022 |access-date=8 February 2023}}</ref>
* ''Phoenix Magazine'' - Voted "Best Play-by-Play" announcer in annual "Best of the Valley" readers poll for 24-years-in-a-row, since magazine inception to present date.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Staff Editorial |title=Mr. Play-by-Play |url=https://www.phoenixmag.com/2017/08/01/mr-play-by-play/ |work=Phoenix Magazine |date=August 2017 |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref>
==Broadcast partners==
{{Refimprove|section|date=September 2024}}
{{Div col|colwidth=12em}}
*Jack Beveridge
*Jim Wells
*[[Hot Rod Hundley]]
*[[John Shumate]]
*Tom Ambrose
*Joe Gilmartin
*[[Dennis Awtrey]]
*[[Chick Hearn]]<ref name="McCoy's-Book" />
*[[Dick Van Arsdale]]
*[[Keith Erickson]]
*[[Vinny Del Negro]]
*[[Cotton Fitzsimmons]]
*[[Tim Kempton]]
*[[Eddie Johnson (basketball, born 1959)|Eddie Johnson]]
*[[Joe Garagiola]]
*[[Ann Meyers|Ann Meyers-Drysdale]]<ref name="wnba" />
*Jon Bloom
*Tim Ring
*Walter Ellis
*Tom Leander
{{Div col end}}
==Suns Radio Network==
Locally, until he retired, within [[Phoenix metropolitan area|Phoenix-Metro]] city limits, Al McCoy's live broadcasts could be heard during Phoenix Suns home games on [[flagship station]] 98.7 [[KMVP-FM]] or streamed online at the KMVP-FM website, ArizonaSports.com, with [[road (sports)|road game]] play-by-play by Jon Bloom.
Nationally, his broadcasts were available on [[Sirius-XM]] in the [[Contiguous United States|48 contiguous states]].
Globally, they were available on [[NBA League Pass|NBA League Pass Audio]], anywhere NBA League Pass is offered.
The Suns Radio Network is also syndicated on various [[AM broadcasting|AM]] and [[FM broadcasting|FM]] stations across the state of [[Arizona]], as well as portions of [[New Mexico]] and [[Southern California]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Doug |first1=K. |title=How to Listen to Phoenix Suns Radio & Stream Games Live Online (NBA Radio) |url=https://www.gotknowhow.com/articles/how-to-listen-to-phoenix-suns-radio-stream-games-live-online-nba-radio |website=GotKnowHow.com |date=May 23, 2021 |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [https://www.nba.com/suns/news/greatest-sun-al-mccoy "The Greatest Sun": NBA.com's 2022 Feature on Al McCoy]
{{Phoenix Suns}}
{{Curt Gowdy Media Award}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Al}}
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