Jim Hall (announcer)

Jim Hall is the public address announcer for New York Giants football games at Giants Stadium, located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, East Rutherford, New Jersey. [http://www.sportsfeatures.com/index.php?section=pp&action=show&id=32484]

After serving as the backup to longtime legendary Yankee Stadium PA announcer Bob Sheppard since the opening of Giants Stadium, Hall was awarded the Giants Stadium position beginning with the 2006 season following Sheppard's retirement from the role.

Hall met Sheppard when he was in high school, as Sheppard would judge Hall in speech and debate events. Hall, like Sheppard, taught in high school and St. John’s University, where he became the chairman of the Department of Speech, Communication and Theater for twelve years out of a forty-five year tenure, before retiring in 2004. [cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/nyregion/04voice.html?ex=1378267200&en=1943ee9bd9dadfef&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|title=A Yankees announcer gets a chance to start|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=2008-09-12]

Hall has served as Sheppard's backup at Yankee Stadium since the mid-sixties. He was needed in September 2007 when Sheppard could not appear due to laryngitis - this was Sheppard's first absence since the beginning of the 2006 season when he missed the Yankees' opening series due to a hip injury. Hall was the Yankees' PA announcer for the whole 2008 season, because Sheppard was continuously impeded by health problems. Sheppard is targeting his return for Opening Day 2009 in the new Yankee Stadium.

It is also of note that his voice is quite similar to Bob Sheppard's. In fact, visiting teams and media usually don't realize it's not Sheppard behind the mic. Hall said that Sheppard asked him to speak in the same style, so that it would not confuse the fans [cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/nyregion/04voice.html?ex=1378267200&en=1943ee9bd9dadfef&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|title=A Yankees announcer gets a chance to start|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=2008-09-12]

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