Dick Callahan | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1940-11-11)November 11, 1940 Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 29, 2021(2021-01-29) (aged 80) |
| Alma mater | St. Jerome's College (BA) |
| Occupations |
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Richard J. Callahan (November 11, 1940 – January 29, 2021) was an Americanpublic addressannouncer. He was noted for serving as the PA announcer for theOakland Athletics from 2005 until 2019. Prior to that, he was the announcer for theGolden State Warriors, theCalifornia Golden Bears football, and various sports atSaint Mary's College of California.[1]
Callahan was born inScranton, Pennsylvania, on November 11, 1940.[2] His parents were Richard and Margaret Callahan,[2] and he attendedScranton Preparatory School. In grade seven, one of the nuns teaching him there remarked how he had "a nice voice and good reading pace", and encouraged him to make good use of it in the future.[1] He graduated in 1958, and – intending to become a priest – he went on to study Latin atSt. Jerome's College inWaterloo, Ontario.[1][3] Callahan played for theWaterloo Warriors men's basketball team,[1][3] but described his time there as unremarkable, joking that he "led the team inminutes sat".[4] He was forced to quit the team in hisjunior year after simultaneously injuring both of his ankles.[1][3] He nonetheless continued to attend Warriors games as a spectator.[3] At one of these games, thepublic address (PA)announcer did not show up and Callahan volunteered to take his place. The athletic director, Carl Totzke, asked him if he had any prior experience in announcing. Callahan replied that he announced all the games at his high school, even though he had actually never announced a game before.[1][3] Totzke was satisfied with Callahan's performance throughout that game that he was retained as announcer,[3] while the incumbent announcer was dismissed.[4]
Callahan graduated with aBachelor of Arts from St. Jerome's in 1962.[3] He had a brief stint working forMetLife inNew York City, before going back home to Scranton and serving as PA announcer for theScranton Miners.[1]
Callahan relocated toSt. Louis as part of his work with MetLife. There, he became friends with broadcasterJack Buck. Callahan applied to become radio announcer for theSpirits of St. Louis when the position opened, but ultimately lost out toBob Costas.[1][4] He subsequently moved to California and established Callahan Insurance in 1981.[1][5] It would later merge with another agency in 1993 to becomeKosich & Callahan Insurance Services.[5][6][7]
Callahan was approached by theathletic director andsports information director ofSaint Mary's College of California in 1975 about becoming the PA announcer for its football and basketball games.[8] He began announcing games for the college that year.[4][9] He went on to participate in college life outside of sport, serving on its Board of Regents and establishing a scholarship forLatino students in need.[4] He received anhonorary degree from the college in 1998, and joked that he "love[d] Saint Mary's more than my own collegiatealma mater" of St. Jerome's.[8] In lieu of payment for announcing, Callahan was given four free tickets each game for his family, who were able to sit close by to him. He quit as announcer in around 2008 after those seats were sold to another party.[4]
Callahan joined theGolden State Warriors as PA announcer in 1981. He served in that capacity for 19 seasons until 2000.[1] He underwentheart surgery in 1995. Consequently, he was absent for seven games, and in his two decades with the team, he missed a total of 13 games out of around 750 NBA games. He was notably the announcer for the2000 NBA All-Star Game, which was hosted in Oakland that February.[6] He suddenly resigned later that year after he was falsely accused of threatening apublic relations intern. The intern had spilled water on Callahan and refused to clean it up when instructed to do so, leading to Callahan calling for the intern's dismissal. Robert Rowell, the Warriors president, took the side of the intern and Callahan quit accordingly. Rowell only discovered two weeks later, from a security guard who had observed the confrontation, that it was in fact Callahan who had been threatened.[4] Callahan described his role with the Warriors as his "dream job" and believed the organization "wanted a screamer".[4]
Callahan became the PA announcer for theOakland Athletics in 2005.[1] He succeededRoy Steele, who was forced to step down in September that year due toachalasia.[10] Although he had big shoes to fill – his predecessor was dubbed "the Voice of God" by fans – Callahan himself became an endeared figure.[11] He identifiedDallas Braden's perfect game in 2010 andSean Manaea'sno-hitter in 2018 as the two most memorable games with the team. Incidentally, the 1,000th game Callahan announced for the Athletics wasMike Fiers' no-hitter on May 7, 2019.[9][11]
Callahan and his wife, Patricia,[6] divorced. He moved toRossmoor before theCOVID-19 pandemic, after having residing inMoraga for 42 years.[7] He intended to announce for the Athletics during the shortened2020 Major League Baseball season, despite the fact that there would beno fans in attendance due to the pandemic.[7] However, he decided to take a one-year hiatus just before the start of the season in July, after being treated in theemergency department for fluid buildup in his legs and abdomen.[12] Amelia Schimmel stood in for him as announcer,[11] and Callahan declared his intention to return for the 2021 season.[12]
Callahan died on January 29, 2021, at the age of 80. No cause of death was announced.[11][9]