📡 Eli Gold talks his future with Alabama radio, memories of Phil savage

[Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com]

Eli Gold feels good after recent eye surgery.

Eli Gold isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

A day after his Alabama football broadcast partner announced his departure, the long-time radio voice of the Crimson Tide told AL.com he sees no end to his career in the booth.

Gold, 64, said he's under contract through the 2023 season and would like to work beyond that.

Entering his 30th season broadcasting Alabama football games, Gold said he has many fond memories of the nine years he worked alongside Savage. After initially saying he planned to keep the broadcasting role after taking the GM role of the new Phoenix franchise of the AAF pro league, Savage announced Wednesday he was stepping away.

Gold said he submitted a short list of possible replacements to decision makers at the university but did not reveal who was on it. He also said he didn't expect a revolving-door audition process like the one used in 2008 when Ken Stabler was replaced as color analyst.

A host of people will have input in who gets the job including those in the athletics department, "likely Coach Saban" and officials at Learfield, owner of the broadcast rights to Alabama athletics.

Looking to the future, Gold said he fells energized for the 2018 season. Recent cataract surgery improved his vision to 20/10, which made the glasses he's worn since age 5 unnecessary. He hasn't ditched the frames, however, because he said it's the look people expect when he walks into a room.

"Hopefully it didn't come across on the air" Gold said Friday, "but I could tell my eyesight had got a little cloudy, a little off. I said, look, let me get this done."

Gold points to Yankees radio voice John Sterling as an example for longevity in the business. He celebrated his 80th birthday Wednesday calling a game against the Braves.

"I still think I'm on top of my game," Gold said, "and I'm just going to keep on trucking for a long time, hopefully."

Vivid memories remain from the first game Gold called with Savage. Alabama had a rotating group of color analysts for the 2008 season when Savage was still with the Cleveland Browns. They brought him in for the 2009 A-Day Game after Savage was fired in Cleveland.

Gold recalls Savage prepared for the glorified scrimmage like it was the Super Bowl.

"In the first quarter, we all looked around at each other in the booth and our eyes said 'Well, here's our guy,'" Gold said. "He prepared for the A-Day Game like an NFL general manager preparing for the draft."

The two called six national championship games -- five Alabama wins -- in their time together.

"I'm a professional describer," Gold said. "I haven't taken snaps and won a Super Bowl. I haven't coached or haven't been a general manager in the National Football League. So, I leaned heavily on my color man over the years. I know some football, but those guys look at the game from high above where I look at it. And I understand my role."


Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com
Eli Gold talks his future with Alabama radio, memories of Phil savage

 

[alagator]

"I'm a professional describer," Gold said. "I haven't taken snaps and won a Super Bowl. I haven't coached or haven't been a general manager in the National Football League. So, I leaned heavily on my color man over the years. I know some football, but those guys look at the game from high above where I look at it. And I understand my role."

Professional describer outside of things like the yard line, down and distance. You know, some of those important things fans tend to pay attention to during games.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

"I'm a professional describer," Gold said. "I haven't taken snaps and won a Super Bowl. I haven't coached or haven't been a general manager in the National Football League. So, I leaned heavily on my color man over the years. I know some football, but those guys look at the game from high above where I look at it. And I understand my role."

Professional describer outside of things like the yard line, down and distance. You know, some of those important things fans tend to pay attention to during games.

Not sure where this comes from. I work a LOT of Saturdays because the nature of my business. I don't get to watch live, so I listen to Eli.

He's always spot on with down and distance.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Not sure where this comes from. I work a LOT of Saturdays because the nature of my business. I don't get to watch live, so I listen to Eli.

He's always spot on with down and distance.

I think he's referring to the speed in which he does it. Eli will often describe the play in some detail and at the very end of his conversation finally, tell the audience where the ball got to.

 

[bamachine]

Not sure where this comes from. I work a LOT of Saturdays because the nature of my business. I don't get to watch live, so I listen to Eli.

He's always spot on with down and distance.

I think he's referring to the speed in which he does it. Eli will often describe the play in some detail and at the very end of his conversation finally, tell the audience where the ball got to.

Yep, that is Eli alright.

 

[TerryP]

Not sure where this comes from. I work a LOT of Saturdays because the nature of my business. I don't get to watch live, so I listen to Eli.

He's always spot on with down and distance.

I think he's referring to the speed in which he does it. Eli will often describe the play in some detail and at the very end of his conversation finally, tell the audience where the ball got to.

I also suspect part of that opinion has come over the last several years with more and more offenses going up tempo. How often does he get to down and distance when the offense is already on its next play.

 

[TUSKtimes]

I also suspect part of that opinion has come over the last several years with more and more offenses going up tempo. How often does he get to down and distance when the offense is already on its next play.

I like Eli and consider him a rare voice, but this is a lifetime problem. There is a reason they took him off the basketball broadcast. He's not very detailed in his calls. John Forney, he ain't.





As you can hear, first and foremost, where is the ball, at all times?

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

I also suspect part of that opinion has come over the last several years with more and more offenses going up tempo. How often does he get to down and distance when the offense is already on its next play.

I like Eli and consider him a rare voice, but this is a lifetime problem. There is a reason they took him off the basketball broadcast. He's not very detailed in his calls. John Forney, he ain't.





As you can hear, first and foremost, where is the ball, at all times?

The conditions of play-by-play calls then vs now are like comparing apples to oranges.

 

[TUSKtimes]

The conditions of play-by-play calls then vs now are like comparing apples to oranges.

Could be. Back in the day, we had no TV backup most of the time, it was radio or bust. John Forney was so good painting a picture of the action that when I turned into the Coach Bryant show the next day you could literally watch every single play of the game and think you had already seen the play or you a lot of times knew which play was coming next. Sometimes I think Eli knows we are syncing up his voice to the TV. But that's not a compliment.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I also suspect part of that opinion has come over the last several years with more and more offenses going up tempo. How often does he get to down and distance when the offense is already on its next play.

I like Eli and consider him a rare voice, but this is a lifetime problem. There is a reason they took him off the basketball broadcast. He's not very detailed in his calls. John Forney, he ain't.





As you can hear, first and foremost, where is the ball, at all times?

Back to the color side of the booth, Savage and Stabler were remarkable upgrades from Doug Layton, who was more comedy relief (and Forney's spotter later in his time there) than analyst.