Longtime Alabama play-by-play announcer and author Eli Gold (right) ā shown here with Alabama great Shaun Alexander (left) at an event in Dothan earlier this year ā will be speaking at the Enterprise Civic Center on Dec. 13.
The Enterprise Public Libraryās month-long celebration of āHometown Teamsā in conjunction with the Smithsonian Instituteās āMuseums on Main Streetā traveling exhibit comes to an end Dec. 13 in grand fashion as the longtime voice of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Eli Gold, travels to the City of Progress.
āWe are so excited about having such a big name coming to Enterprise and someone that is such a big supporter of libraries,ā Enterprise Public Library Director Terah Harris said. āItās so great that he is willing to come here to speak to us and do it during the middle of football season.ā
Gold was originally scheduled to appear on Dec. 6 but scheduling conflicts with the University of Alabama caused the date to be rescheduled to Dec. 13 instead.
āI was supposed to come earlier in the month of December, but my schedule got messed up,ā Gold said. āIām just glad things have worked out for me to be there on the 13th.ā
Gold has been the play-by-play announcer for the Alabama Crimson Tide since the 1988 season and during his time with the Tide has seen Alabama go through seven different coaches, the first two Heisman winners in school history, five National Championships, seven SEC Championships and 12 SEC Western Division crowns.
As Harris stated, Gold is a big proponent of libraries and books which is no surprise as he has penned three books while at Alabama himself.
Two of the books focus on the history of Alabama football.
āCrimson Nation: The Shaping of the Southās Most Dominating Football Teamā told the history and rise of Alabama as a powerhouse in college football.
His second book, āBearās Boys,ā focused on telling the stories of 36 of Paul āBearā Bryantās players and the impact his life lessons had on the players, while Eliās third book āFrom Peanuts to the Press Boxā is an autobiography of Eliās life and career.
Gold plans to discuss his career at Alabama and much more during his appearance in Enterprise, and is a big proponent of the Smithsonian Exhibit itself.
āIām looking forward to being in Enterprise along with the display from the Smithsonian,ā Gold said. āItās a great display that Iāve seen in the past, but this will also allow me to share some fun Bama stories with the fans in the area.ā
Enterprise head football coach David Faulkner ā coming off of the Wildcatsā best season in more than a decade ā will be hosting the event and introducing Gold.
āI think itās a real neat event that the library has going by bringing in Eli Gold here to come share some stories about his experiences not just with Alabama football but with the other athletic events and things that heās been a part of.ā
Along with being the lead play-by-play announcer for Alabama for nearly three decades Gold has also been a commentator for NFL broadcasts, Alabama basketball, Arena Football, NASCAR races and even hockey.
āHe is the finale of the Smithsonian Exhibit and we couldnāt have asked for a better finale than Mr. Gold,ā Harris said. āWe hope that everybody comes out and takes advantage of him being in town.ā
Faulkner shared Harrisā enthusiasm about being a part of the event himself.
āIām honored that they asked me to be a part of the event and am really looking forward to it,ā he said.
Gold will be appearing at āA Night with Eli Goldā Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Enterprise Civic Center.
The event will be free for anyone with a donation to the library with all proceeds going to the library obviously. Any donation, whether it is $1 or $50, gains entrance into the event.
Voice of the Tide speaks on upcoming Enterprise appearance