Eli Gold facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eli Gold
Gold in October 2006
Born	Elias Leo Gold (1953-12-15) December 15, 1953 (age 71) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Radio host Author

Elias Leo Gold (born December 15, 1953) is a famous American sportscaster. He is best known as the radio voice for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. He worked with the Crimson Tide Sports Network from 1988 to 2024. Eli Gold also calls college football and NFL games for Sports USA Radio Network. He also announces games for the Nashville Kats of Arena Football One.

Before this, Gold hosted NASCAR Live on the Motor Racing Network. He also called games for the Arena Football League on TNN and NBC.

About Eli Gold

Eli Gold was born on December 15, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York City. He started his broadcasting career in 1972. He worked as a weekend sports reporter for the Mutual Broadcasting System.

Early Life and Career Start

Gold lived in New York until he was 23 years old. He shared that growing up in New York helped his career. There were many radio stations in the area. He learned a lot about the business by working at stations like WOR and WNEW.

Eli knew he wanted to be a sportscaster when he was in eighth grade. He went to a special high school that allowed him to work early. He began his career in 1972. He reported on sports during the weekends for the Mutual Broadcasting System.

Sports Announcing Career

Eli Gold has announced many different sports. He has a very recognizable voice.

Calling Ice Hockey Games

Gold's first special skill was announcing ice hockey games. He worked for several hockey leagues. These included the Eastern, North American, Southern, American, and Central Hockey Leagues. He also announced games for the National Hockey League (NHL). In the NHL, he called games for the 1979–80 St. Louis Blues. He was also the radio announcer for the Nashville Predators during the 2006–07 NHL season. Gold returned to hockey in 2017. He broadcasted games for the Birmingham Bulls in the Southern Professional Hockey League.

Announcing NASCAR Races

In 1976, Gold joined NASCAR's Motor Racing Network (MRN). This network broadcasts NASCAR races to over 600 stations. He had many roles there, like co-anchor and pit reporter. His first job with MRN was in 1976 at the World 600 race.

From 1984 to 2016, Gold hosted "NASCAR Live." This was a weekly show heard across the United States. From 1996 to 2000, Gold was the main announcer for TNN's NASCAR coverage. He also worked with ESPN, CBS Sports, and NBC Sports for NASCAR races.

NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace said that Gold "is one of the most recognizable voices in NASCAR." In 2016, Gold left MRN and all his NASCAR duties.

Voice of Alabama Sports

Starting in 1988, Gold became the radio announcer for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football and basketball teams. He hosted shows like "The Tide" and "Hey Coach." On these shows, coaches would call in to talk with Gold.

Gold was also the first play-by-play announcer for the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Blazers basketball team for six years. He also spent four years announcing for the Birmingham Barons baseball team. He was named the Southern League's Broadcaster of the Year in 1983. He was also voted Alabama Sportscaster of the Year four times.

Gold moved to Birmingham, Alabama to call games for the Birmingham Bulls hockey team. He created Birmingham's first local sports call-in show, Calling All Sports. This show was very popular for 20 years. He also worked as a sports director for WBRC, an ABC TV station.

On August 30, 2011, Gold returned to daily radio. He co-hosted a morning sports show with former Auburn quarterback Stan White. On February 21, 2024, it was announced that Gold would not return as the Alabama radio broadcaster for the 2024 football season.

Arena Football Announcing

In 2000, Gold became the voice of the original Arena Football League for TNN. He did play-by-play announcing for three years. When the AFL moved to NBC Sports in 2003, Gold continued as the play-by-play announcer. He also announced AFL games for FOX Sports Net and Comcast Sports. He returned to calling arena football games for the Nashville Kats in 2024.

NFL Broadcasting

In the fall of 2003, Gold joined the SportsUSA Radio Network. He handles the play-by-play for one NFL game each week. He also broadcasts all-star games and college football bowl games for SportsUSA Radio.

NBA G-League Announcing

In August 2021, Gold was announced as the main play-by-play voice for the Birmingham Squadron. This team is part of the NBA G-League.

Health and Personal Life

On August 3, 2022, Gold announced he would miss the start of the 2022 season. He needed to focus on his health. Chris Stewart took over his role for the Alabama Crimson Tide during this time.

Gold shared that he was dealing with orthopedic issues. He also lost over 100 pounds. In January 2023, Gold announced he had been diagnosed with cancer. He said it was a "treatable" form of the disease. He was making good progress in his recovery.

Gold lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. He lives with his wife Claudette and daughter Elise. He is also a part owner of Nino's Italian Restaurant in Pelham, Alabama. He has a wing sauce named after him at Baumhowers Wings restaurant. Gold is Jewish. He once said he was thrilled that a "Jewish kid from Brooklyn" made it into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Awards and Recognition

Eli Gold has won the Alabama Sportscaster of the Year award four times. He won these awards from the National Sportscaster and Sportswriter Association. He also received the same honor from the Associated Press twice. United Press International also voted him Alabama Sportscaster of the Year.

In 2019, Gold won the Chris Schenkel Award from the National Football Foundation. This award honors broadcasters with long careers tied to a specific school. Gold had been calling Alabama Crimson Tide football games for 31 seasons.

Books by Eli Gold

Eli Gold has written several books.

• His first book was Crimson Nation: The Shaping of the South's Most Dominant Football Team.
• Gold's second book, Bear's Boys, was released in August 2007. It focuses on 36 of coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's Alabama football players. The book explores their lives after college. It also shows how Coach Bryant's lessons helped them.
• Gold's third book, From Peanuts to the Press Box, tells his life story. It shares how a boy from Brooklyn, New York, went from selling peanuts to working in sports broadcasting.

Images for kids

• 

  Gold in October 2006