Q&A With Suns Broadcaster Al McCoy

Suns.com caught up with the broadcasting legend to discuss his favorite on-the-court memories, as well as explore his broadcasting roots.

Suns.com: You are originally from Williams, Iowa. Was that where you first knew that you wanted to work in broadcasting?

Al McCoy: I grew up on a farm in Williams, and I was a big radio buff. I always wanted to be in broadcasting and specifically in sports.

Suns.com: Was there a person in your life that influenced your pursuit in becoming a broadcaster or was it a childhood dream to announce sporting events?

McCoy: I listened to a lot of broadcasters. One of the first broadcasters that I really admired was Burt Wilson. He was the voice of the Chicago Cubs on the radio. He was the first announcer that I got attached to. Then there were guys like Jack Brickhouse in Chicago and Harry Carey who was in St. Louis. On the national scene, I listened to Bill Stern and Don Dunphey. The first announcer that I really took to, though, was Burt Wilson, the radio voice of the Cubs.

Suns.com: You originally moved to Phoenix to be a broadcaster for the Triple-A Phoenix Giants baseball club and to be on a local radio show called “One of the Good Guys.” Did you believe that you were going to pursue a career broadcasting baseball games?

McCoy: Yes, I did. I worked in Iowa and worked in Buffalo, New York, before I came out here. I came out here when the Major Leagues realigned and the Brooklyn Dodgers moved over to Los Angeles and the New York Giants moved to San Francisco. The Giants moved their No. 1 farm club from Minneapolis to Phoenix and that’s what brought me out here at that time. I always felt that I was the heir apparent to the San Francisco job, and I was offered the job on two separate occasions. Basically by that time I had gotten involved here with the Suns, though. I originally thought I would continue to be a baseball announcer and obviously when the Diamondbacks came here, Jerry Colangelo asked me if I wanted to switch over. I decided, at that time, that I was so attached to the Suns that I couldn’t make the move. But for the first few years, I did a number of Diamondback games. Thom Brennaman, who was the original announcer for the Diamondbacks, also worked for Fox Sports so he was gone a lot on the weekends. I filled in on those games for three or four years, but there were more and more games, and I didn’t want to be tied up every weekend all summer.

Suns.com: You have been a part of so many great Phoenix Suns moments such as the memorable Game 5 in the 1976 NBA Finals vs. the Celtics and being a part of the 1993 NBA playoff run, including greats such as Charles Barkley and Tom Chambers. Is there a Suns memory in particular that sticks out in your mind?

McCoy: Those two triple overtime games in the Finals (Game 5 vs. Boston in 1976 and Game 3 vs. Chicago in ’93) would certainly be my biggest memories right now. When Garfield Heard hit the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” that sent that game in the Boston Garden into a third overtime was one of the great shots. There have been many, though, such as Rex Chapman’s three-point shot at the buzzer in a game along with Dan Marjele’s clutch threes. When I look at my time over the last 37 years, that Garfield Heard shot was probably the most meaningful in my mind.

Suns.com: Most people around the valley, if asked, could recite one of your catchphrases such as "Shazam!" and “Zing Go the Strings.” How did you come up with those great sayings?

McCoy: Some of them just happened. Most of them just kind of popped up and were utilized, not to the extent that they would be worn out, over the course of a game. The only one that really took some planning would be "Shazam!" That took place when the NBA put the three-point shot in. My thinking at the time was that this would almost be like a homerun in baseball. Most baseball announcers have a signature homerun call (for Diamondback fans: warning track… wall… you can touch ‘em all). So I thought I better come up with something for the three-point shot, not realizing that there would be 20 of them a game and there wasn’t in the early years. So I thought about the old comic book character Captain Marvel. The character that became Captain Marvel was actually a radio reporter in the comic strip, Billy Batson. When he wanted to become Captain Marvel, he would say "Shazam!" and lightning and thunder would go off for that exciting moment. So I thought it might be a good way to indicate a three-point shot by a member of the Phoenix Suns. "Shazam!" was one that I thought about, but the others just kind of came about on their own.

Suns.com: In 2007, you joined announcing greats such as Chick Hearn, Jim Nantz and former Suns announcer Rodney “Hot Rod” Hundley in winning the Curt Gowdy Media Award Winners (given annually to a member of print and electronic media who have made significant contributions to the game of basketball). What did receiving that award mean to you?

McCoy: It meant a great deal. From a career stand point, it was the highlight. I was only the 18th broadcaster to receive that award. To be considered with a lot of national broadcasters, it was extremely meaningful.

Suns.com: Which Phoenix Suns player did you most enjoy watching during your time here? What about non-Suns player?

McCoy: That’s a difficult question because there have been so many that you can go through eras. The early days with Dick Van Arsdale, who was the “Original Sun,” and Connie Hawkins. You can then go on to players like Walter Davis, Paul Westphal, Kevin Johnson, Charles Barkley and Dan Marjele. You cannot really put it on one or two players, because there have just been so many that have been fan favorites and big contributors. Even the guys right now like Steve Nash, Grant Hill, and Amar’e Stoudemire. It almost goes by eras, but there have been a lot of them, so I can’t really pick just one.

For opposing players, you go back to some of the players in the early years with the Boston teams: Bob Cousy, “Hondo” John Havlicek, and Dave Cowens. Then some of the Knick teams and look at guys like Clyde Drexler, among others. There were so many great players that I have seen such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlin, Bill Russell, Jerry West, etc. You could go on and on with all of the great players. That is one of the things that makes my job so great because night in and night out you get to see these outstanding athletes and great players compete and that is what makes my job so fun.

Suns.com: You are about to embark on your 38th season with the Phoenix Suns. As a legend around here, people including myself could not imagine watching a game without your commentary. Do you see yourself leaving anytime soon or are you going to wait for that Phoenix Suns championship?

McCoy: I’d like to wait for that Phoenix Suns championship or maybe they will run me off one of these days. As long as I enjoy it and I continue to feel great, I will continue to do it for a while. I take it year by year and game by game.