Woody Durham

Woody Durham
Birth name Woody Lombardi Durham
Born (1941-08-08) August 8, 1941
Mebane, North Carolina
Show Carolina football and men's basketball
Network Tar Heel Sports Network
Show Coach Butch Davis and Roy Williams radio show
Style Sports commentator
Spouse(s) Jean Durham
Children Wes Durham, Taylor Durham

Woody Lombardi Durham (born August 8, 1941 in Mebane, North Carolina),[1] known as "The Voice of the Tar Heels", was the longtime play-by-play radio announcer for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels football and basketball teams from 1971 to 2011.

Durham grew up in Albemarle, North Carolina, and was close with Bob Harris, longtime announcer for the UNC rival Duke Blue Devils. The two played on the same little league baseball team, were on the same 1957 high school football team, and sang together in the school chorus and a double quartet. Durham graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1963 with a Bachelor's degree in Radio, Television and Motion Pictures.[1] He is a member of the Alpha Rho chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.

Career

Durham began his career at WZKY, a small AM radio station in his hometown of Albemarle, at age 16.[1] Many Tar Heel fans brought their radios to Kenan Stadium and the Dean Smith Center, and fans watching on television often turned down the sound so they could hear Durham's radio call.

Durham was behind the microphone for thirteen Final Fours, as well as four national championships (1982, 1993, 2005 and 2009). He also called 23 bowl games.

In 1981, Durham was named vice president and executive sports director at Tar Heel Sports Marketing. Durham was named North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year twelve times.[1]

After 40 years as the voice of the Tar Heels, Durham announced his retirement on April 20, 2011 .[2] Jones Angell, his color analyst for six years, was named his successor.

On December 3, 2012, it was announced Durham would receive the first-ever Vince Lombardi Excellence in College Broadcasting award.[3]

Family

Durham's eldest son, Wes Durham, is the play-by-play radio voice of Atlantic Coast Conference rival Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Falcons. His youngest son, Taylor, is a network affiliate manager for ISP Sports in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Woody Durham biography
  2. ↑ Woody Durham To Retire As Voice Of The Tar Heels
  3. ↑ "Woody Durham To Receive Lombardi Honor" (Press release). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. December 3, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.

External links

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