Al McCoy speaks about his upcoming induction into the Suns Ring of Honor
Mar 1, 2017, 4:00 PM | Updated: Mar 2, 2017, 11:32 am
Legendary Suns broadcaster Al McCoy. (Photo: Vince Marotta/Arizona Sports)
(Photo: Vince Marotta/Arizona Sports)
Al McCoy will be inducted into the Suns Ring of Honor on Friday when the Suns host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This season is McCoy’s 45th as the voice of Suns basketball on KTAR Radio and the Suns radio network.
McCoy will be the fifteenth inductee into the Suns Ring of Honor, which includes ten players, two coaches, a trainer, and former general manager and owner Jerry Colangelo
Even though McCoy has been broadcasting Suns games for most of the team’s existence, he never expected to join them in the rafters.
McCoy was informed he would be inducted on the opening night of the 2016-17 season.
“But when I found out, Suns owner Robert Sarver was out on the floor, they started playing highlights of my career on the big screen,” McCoy said on the Suns Mid-season show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “And when I got down on the floor Robert Sarver had the microphone in his hand, put his arm around me and said, ‘On March third you’re going to be inducted into the Suns Ring of Honor,’ and it was quite a shock no question about it.”
McCoy, 83, started broadcasting Suns games in the 1972-73 season when the team was still in its infancy. From there, he’s been with the team for its NBA Finals appearances in 1976 and 1993, and has seen a long list of great players including Charles Barkley, Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson, and Paul Westphal.
Although McCoy is receiving a high honor, he came from humble beginnings of Williams, Iowa, a small farming town. His broadcasting career began in 1951 at KJFJ in Webster City, Iowa, when he was a freshman at Drake University.
He first came to Arizona in 1958 to do play-by-play for the Triple-A Phoenix Giants.
Even with the recognition in the Suns Ring of Honor, McCoy knew he wouldn’t have had the same career without the support from the community.
“No play-by-play announcer can be successful if he’s not accepted by the fans,” McCoy said. “I have been extremely fortunate to be accepted by the fans. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.”
