"Hot" Rod Hundley Calls 3,000th Game as Voice of Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY -- Legendary Utah Jazz broadcaster "Hot" Rod Hundley called his 3,000th Jazz game on Wednesday night. The Jazz defeated the Hornets 116-90.

Hundley is currently in his fourth season as the radio voice of the Jazz after 31 years as the play-by-play voice of Jazz radio/television simulcasts. The only member of the original New Orleans Jazz staff to remain with the team all 35 seasons, he joined the organization prior to the expansion team's inaugural season in 1974-75 and moved with the team when it relocated to Salt Lake City in 1979-80.

Hundley entered 2008-09 having broadcast 2,964 of a possible 2,978 Jazz regular season and playoff games over his first 34 years, and has called well over 3,000 NBA games overall. Now in his 42nd season as an NBA broadcaster, Hundley calls games with a distinctive voice and unique play-by-play style that has made him instantly recognizable to audiences nationwide.

Hundley moved to radio only prior to the 2005-06 season, marking a return to the Hall of Famer's roots, back when he called Los Angeles Lakers games with the legendary Chick Hearn.

In 1994, he won the NBA's Distinguished Broadcaster Award, an honor given only twice previously. "Hot Rod" called his 2,500th Jazz game on February 19, 2003, against the Lakers, and received the 14th Annual Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during Enshrinement Weekend, on September 5, 2003, in Springfield, Mass. He is the first former player and the first broadcaster from Utah to be enshrined in the writer/broadcaster wing of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Utah Broadcaster Hall of Fame in June of 2004 and on June 16, 2005 he was inducted into the Utah Summer Games Hall of Honor.

Prior to becoming the voice of the Jazz, Hundley worked two seasons for the L.A. Lakers alongside Hearn, and five seasons for the Phoenix Suns including a stint with Suns' legend Al McCoy. While working for the Lakers and Suns, Hundley called the college game of the week on TVS alongside Dick Enberg. He announced five years for CBS-TV calling the NBA game of the week, including four All-Star Games, and called two All-Star Games on ABC Radio.

A native of Charleston, W.V., Hundley was a three-time All-American at West Virginia University, where he earned the nickname "Hot Rod" for his flamboyant playing style. Hundley was made the first pick in the 1957 NBA College Draft by the Cincinnati Royals and was immediately traded to the Minneapolis Lakers. He played six seasons for the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers, earning All-Star honors in 1960 and 1961, and averaging 8.4 points, 3.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 431 career games before retiring following the 1962-63 season.

In 1982, he was named to the NCAA's silver anniversary All-America team, an award given to former collegiate athletes who achieve success in life after their basketball careers. He is a member of the State of West Virginia Hall of Fame and a 1992 inductee of the West Virginia University Hall of Fame.

In 2000, Hundley graduated from West Virginia with a bachelor's degree in arts and sciences, 43 years after leaving his alma mater to play in the NBA. In March 2005, he was named to WVU's Academy of Distinguished Alumni, joining Jerry West and other honored graduates.

A biography on Hundley entitled "Clown: Number 33 in Your Program, Number 1 in Your Heart" by Bill Libby was published in 1970. Hundley also co-authored a book on his life and broadcast experiences entitled "You Gotta Love It, Baby" in 1998. In addition, Hundley has appeared in two movies, 1974's "Mixed Company" starring Barbara Harris and 2006's "Church Ball."

Some Popular "Hot" Rod-isms: "With a gentle push, and a mild arc, the old cowhide globe hits home." "Yo-yo dribble" "Leapin' leaner" "Hippity-hop" "Good if it goes!" "Frozen rope" "Belt-high dribble" "It's in the ol' refrigerator." "Looking down the barrel" "You gotta love it, baby!"