Al Ciraldo

Al Ciraldo

Alfred Joseph Ciraldo (September 2, 1921 in Akron, Ohio – November 7, 1997) was an American sportscaster best known for his work as the play-by-play announcer for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets basketball and football teams.

Education

He was a 1948 graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Career

He joined the staff at WGST radio in Atlanta and broadcast his first Tech football game in 1954, [http://gtalumni.org/Publications/timeline/1950s.html Tech Timeline: 1950s] ] against Tulane. His first Tech basketball game was against Sewanee that same year. Over the next 38 seasons, he called 416 football and 1,030 basketball games for the Rambling Wreck.

Ciraldo served as a color analyst in football to Jack Hurst in the late 50’s and 60’s and then took over as lead broadcaster when Hurst left that post. Ciraldo is often remembered for the phrase "Toe meets leather", with which he led off every football game. Assisting Ciraldo on football broadcasts from 1974 to 2003 was former Tech quarterback Kim King, whom Ciraldo introduced every week as "the young left-hander from Atlanta’s own Brown High School". King’s book, "Tales from the Georgia Tech Sideline", has a collection of anecdotes and stories about Ciraldo.

It was in basketball, however, that Ciraldo most notably left his mark. As Tech basketball reached national prominence in the mid-80’s under Bobby Cremins, Ciraldo – splitting play-by-play and analyst duties with Brad Nessler – came to the attention of a new generation of sports fans in the southeast. Ciraldo popularized a term that Nessler coined – "Thriller Dome" - to describe the Tech’s home court, Alexander Memorial Coliseum, which was the site of many close games in Tech’s early ACC years.

tyle

Ciraldo was an early practitioner of a style of basketball broadcasting that described the constant movement of the ball on the floor, an approach that enabled his listeners to virtually see the game in progress. In the prime of his career, his rapid speech pattern made Tech fans feel they were actually at the game, and after the advent of portable radios it was not unusual to see many spectators at the Coliseum listening to Ciraldo explain what they were looking at on the floor in front of them. Instant recognition of opposing players and a nonstop flow of information offered Tech fans unusual detail and a constant updating of the time and score:(This fictional re-creation uses Tech and Kentucky players from the 1959-60 season.) Ciraldo also understood many subtleties of the sport. He consistently reported which defenses the two teams were using and was quick to note any changes in them. He also did a nice job of identifying individual defensive battles and was quick to praise exemplary effort in that regard. (“Bruce Dalrymple, one of the best defenders ever to wear the white and gold. When he guards players, they disappear.”)

Legacy

Ciraldo's baritone voice and many signature phrases were quite memorable. He often described free throws that hung on the rim before falling in as having “a lot of iron, but good” (pronounced, staccato style, as ‘gut’) or by saying “rolls around” - dramatic pause – “and in.” Close games were "barnburners", as in "We got a real barnburner here tonight." He popularized the use of the terms “snowbird” and “bunny” for lay-ups in the 1950’s and 60's, though many of those fans at the games with radios were surprised to see that some shots so described were heavily contested by defenders and anything but easy. A ballcarrier that straddled the sideline during a run would "walked the chalk stripes". A sellout crowd before game time was described as an "over taxed capacity crowd filing through the turnstiles".

Those who heard Ciraldo only in his final few years of announcing basketball – when age had slowed him a bit even as the game itself sped up – may not have fully appreciated what he brought to a pre-video era. Georgia Tech memorialized his contributions both by 'retiring' his microphone and by inducting him into the Institute's Hall of Fame in 1986. A banner with Ciraldo's picture hangs high over the Coliseum court alongside a number of the players he so memorably reported on.

References

External links

* [http://www.cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/anak/obits.html#Al%20Ciraldo ANAK Obituary]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ciraldo — This ancient surname is of German and French pre 7th century origins. It derives from either of the popular personal names Gerard or Gerald. Gerard comprises the elements gari meaning a spear, and hard brave, whilst Gerald has the same prefix of… …   Surnames reference

  • Cameron Ciraldo — Infobox rugby league biography playername = Cameron Ciraldo fullname = Cameron Ciraldo nickname = Siro, Cam caption = country = position = Second row currentclub = leagueicon|Newcastle|size=16 Newcastle Knights dateofbirth = birth date and… …   Wikipedia

  • Bobby Ciraldo — (born 1974 in Skokie, Illinois) is a filmmaker and web based artist whose works include Hamlet A.D.D. , Gonzo Ballet , and a music video for Leslie and the Ly s called Zombie Killer (featuring Elvira). He attended Grinnell College and later… …   Wikipedia

  • Hamlet A.D.D. — Infobox Film name = Hamlet A.D.D. director = Bobby Ciraldo Andrew Swant producer = Bobby Ciraldo writer = Andrew Swant starring = Bobby Ciraldo Robert Richard Jorge Andrew Swant Xavier Leplae Dustin Diamond Laura Klein Harmony Murphy Majel… …   Wikipedia

  • Kim King — D. Kimbrough ( Kim ) King was Georgia Tech s starting quarterback for three years beginning in 1965. During his career, he led the team in 712 plays, completing 243 passes for 2763 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 506 yards, placing him… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks players — This list shows all the players who played for the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks between their formation in 1967 until the present in 2007. Contents 1 Players and Statistics 2 Alphabetical Playerlist 2.1 A 2.2 …   Wikipedia

  • Modus Operandi (film) — Modus Operandi Theatrical release poster Directed by Frankie Latina Produced by Sasha Grey …   Wikipedia

  • Massacre de Bronte — Le massacre de Bronte est un épisode de l expédition des Mille et concerne l assassinat de seize civils dans la commune de Bronte par les paysans et la répression qui s ensuit par un bataillon de l esercito meridionale (Armée Méridionale)… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Newcastle Knights — Club information Full name Newcastle Rugby League Football Club Nickname(s) Novocastrians, Newy Colours Primary:      Blue …   Wikipedia

  • List of Italian Australians — The is a list of notable Italian Australians. Musicians*Vanessa Amorosi Singer *Tina Arena Singer *Kate Ceberano Singer *Anthony Callea Singer *Emmanuel Carella Singer *Chris Cester Drummer and vocalist *Nic Cester Singer and guitarist *Gabriella …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”