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 for many years, from 1988 to 2024.

Eli Gold also calls college football and NFL games for the Sports USA Radio Network. He announces games for the Nashville Kats of Arena Football One too. In the past, he hosted NASCAR Live and announced games for the Arena Football League on TV channels like TNN and NBC.

About Eli Gold

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

Growing Up in New York

Eli lived in New York until he was 23 years old. He shared that growing up in New York helped his career. There were over 200 radio stations there, and he learned a lot working at places like WOR and WNEW.

He knew he wanted to be a sportscaster when he was in eighth grade. He started working in 1972 as a weekend sports reporter.

Announcing Ice Hockey

Eli Gold first became known for announcing ice hockey games. He worked for many different hockey leagues, including the National Hockey League (NHL). In the NHL, he announced games for the 1979–80 St. Louis Blues. He was also the radio announcer for the Nashville Predators during the 2006–07 NHL season. In 2017–18, he returned to hockey to broadcast games for the Birmingham Bulls.

Announcing NASCAR Races

In 1976, Eli Gold joined the Motor Racing Network (MRN) for NASCAR. This network broadcasts NASCAR races to over 600 stations. He had many roles, like co-anchor, turn announcer, and pit reporter.

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

Famous NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace said that Eli Gold is "one of the most recognizable voices in NASCAR." In 2016, Eli Gold decided to leave his roles with NASCAR.

Alabama Sports Announcer

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

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

Eli Gold moved to Birmingham, Alabama to announce 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.

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

Arena Football Announcer

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

NFL Announcer

Since 2003, Eli Gold has been part of the SportsUSA Radio Network's NFL coverage. He does the play-by-play for one NFL game each week. He also broadcasts college football bowl games for SportsUSA Radio.

NBA G-League Announcer

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

Health Update

In August 2022, Eli Gold announced he would miss the start of the 2022 season to focus on his health. He shared that he was working on his ability to move around better. He also mentioned he had lost over 100 pounds. In January 2023, Gold shared that he had been diagnosed with cancer. He said it was a "treatable" form of the disease and he was making good progress in his recovery.

Personal Life

Eli Gold lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and also in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. He lives with his wife, Claudette, and their daughter, Elise. Gold is also a part owner of Nino's Italian Restaurant in Pelham, Alabama. He even has a special wing sauce named after him at Baumhowers Wings restaurant.

Awards and Honors

Eli Gold has won the Alabama Sportscaster of the Year award four times. He was chosen by the National Sportscaster and Sportswriter Association. He has also won this award from the Associated Press twice and from United Press International.

In 2019, Gold received the Chris Schenkel Award from the National Football Foundation. This award honors broadcasters who have had long careers with a specific school.

Books by Eli Gold

Eli Gold has written several books:

• Crimson Nation: The Shaping of the South's Most Dominant Football Team
• Bear's Boys (released in 2007): This book talks about 36 football players who played for coach Paul "Bear" Bryant at Alabama. It shares what they are doing today and how Coach Bryant's lessons helped them.
• From Peanuts to the Press Box: This book tells Eli Gold's life story. It shares how a boy from Brooklyn, New York, who once sold peanuts at Madison Square Garden, became a famous sportscaster.

Images for kids

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  Eli Gold in October 2006