List of New Orleans Saints broadcasters
The New Orleans Saints' flagship radio stations are WWL AM 870 and WWL-FM 105.3. WWL 870 is a 50,000 watt clear channel station, the most powerful in New Orleans.[1][2] The radio network has affiliates in numerous cities around Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.
Current staff
[edit]Mike Hoss (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (color commentator), and Jeff Nowak (sideline reporter) form the broadcast team. Former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert hosts the post-game call-in show, "The Point After," and also performs pre-game and halftime commentary.[1]
Past Staff
[edit]Veteran sportscaster Al Wester served as the Saints' play-by-play announcer during its first four seasons (1967–1970). Longtime announcer Jim Henderson has led the broadcast team almost continuously since the mid-1980s, his tenure covering the franchise's periods of greatest success. Henderson announced his retirement following the 2017 season.[3] One week later, Wester died at age 93.[4]
Over the years, color commentators have included such notable former Saints players as quarterback Archie Manning, wide receiver Danny Abramowicz, and running backs Jim Taylor, Hokie Gajan, and Deuce McAllister.
| Seasons | Flagship station | Play-by-play | Color commentator | Sideline reporter | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–1968 | WWL | Al Wester | Maury Magill | [5][6] | |
| 1969–1970 | Jim Taylor | [5][6] | |||
| 1971–1972 | Bill McColgan | [5][6] | |||
| 1973–1975 | John Ferguson | Steve Stonebreaker | [5][6] | ||
| 1976 | WGSO | Wayne Mack | Dick Butkus (Weeks 1–8); Archie Manning (Weeks 9–14) |
[6][7] | |
| 1977–1981 | Danny Abramowicz | [5][6] | |||
| 1982–1984 | WWL | Larry Matson | Jim Henderson | [8] | |
| 1985 | Jim Henderson (Weeks 1–6); Jim Henderson & Archie Manning (Weeks 7–16) |
[9] | |||
| 1986–1989 | Jim Henderson | Archie Manning | [10][11] | ||
| 1990 | John Ferguson | [11][12] | |||
| 1991 | Larry Matson | [13] | |||
| 1992 | WQUE | David Garrett | Jim Henderson & Archie Manning | [14] | |
| 1993 | David Garrett (Weeks 1–11); Jim Henderson (Weeks 12–18) |
Jim Henderson & Archie Manning (Weeks 1–11); Archie Manning (Weeks 12–18) |
[15] | ||
| 1994 | Jim Henderson | Archie Manning | [16] | ||
| 1995–1997 | WWL | [17][18] | |||
| 1998–1999 | Stan Brock | Kenny Wilkerson | [19] | ||
| 2000–2007 | Hokie Gajan | [20] | |||
| 2008–2009 | Gus Kattengel | ||||
| 2010–2014 | Kristian Garic | ||||
| 2015 | Hokie Gajan (Weeks 1–13); Deuce McAllister (Weeks 14–17) |
[21] | |||
| 2016–2017 | Deuce McAllister | [1] | |||
| 2018–2020 | Zach Strief | Steve Geller | [22] | ||
| 2021-2022 | Mike Hoss | [23] | |||
| 2023-present | Jeff Nowak | [24] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "New Orleans Saints Radio". New Orleans Saints. 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ "1922: WWL and the Arrival of New Orleans' Radio Days". 300 for 300: New Orleans Tricentennial. The Times-Picayune. June 16, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ Kincaid, Juan (February 1, 2018). "Legendary 'Voice of the Saints' Jim Henderson Announces Retirement from Broadcasting". FOX 8, WVUE. Raycom Media. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ "Al Wester, Original Voice of the New Orleans Saints, Passes at 93". New Orleans Saints. February 9, 2018. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Staub, Cobb Share Home-Run Record". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. January 27, 1985. p. E8.
- ^ a b c d e f Mack, Wayne (1992). The Sage of the Saints. New Orleans, LA: Arthur Hardy Enterprises. p. 154.
- ^ "Archie Replaces Butkus". The States-Item. New Orleans. November 3, 1976. p. D5.
- ^ "WWL Saints' Broadcaster for '82, '83". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. January 19, 1982. sec. 2, p. 5.
- ^ East, Les (October 25, 1985). "Manning Now Calling Plays Behind the Mike at WWL". The Times-Picayune/The States-Item. New Orleans. p. C8.
- ^ Lorando, Mark (September 18, 1986). "Radio Listeners Struggling to Find the Highlight Zone". The Times-Picayune/The States-Item. New Orleans. p. C5.
- ^ a b Lorando, Mark (July 11, 1990). "WWL Recycles Local Veterans". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. E1.
- ^ Lorando, Mark (February 1, 1991). "New Wave of Saints Radio". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. E1.
- ^ Lorando, Mark (February 20, 1991). "Matson's Back in the Game". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. E1.
- ^ Lorando, Mark (February 18, 1992). "Saints Radio Team Has Familiar Sound". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. E3.
- ^ "Garrett Fired as Announcer for Saints". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. November 16, 1993. p. C5.
- ^ Lorando, Mark (December 5, 1994). "Saints' Air-Wave Change Signals a New Era". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. C1.
- ^ Mule, Marty (June 11, 1995). "Henderson Delighted His Voice Will Carry Farther". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. C16.
- ^ Mule, Marty (December 23, 1997). "Archie Manning Leaving Radio Broadcasting Role". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. A1.
- ^ Mule, Marty (September 6, 1998). "Brock Eager for his Rookie Season". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. C2.
- ^ Duncan, Jeff (April 29, 2000). "Haslett Compares Howard to Seattle Pro Bowler". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. D2.
- ^ "Breaux's Injured Hamstring Better". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. December 8, 2015. p. B3.
- ^ "Zach Strief officially announced as new voice of the Saints, replacing Jim Henderson". New Orleans Advocate. New Orleans. July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Hoss named play-by-play announcer for New Orleans Saints game day broadcasts on WWL". New Orleans Saints. New Orleans. June 23, 2021.
- ^ "Saints News | New Orleans Saints | NewOrleansSaints.com". www.neworleanssaints.com. Retrieved 2024-06-11.