Eagles announcer Merrill Reese headed to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Merrill Reese is about to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Reese, 81, the longtime radio voice of the Eagles, received the 2024 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, which is given annually to a member of the media for “longstanding outstanding contributions to radio and television in professional football.

“Each year, the Hall of Fame recognizes an individual who has dedicated his or her career to improving radio and television in professional football, and this year’s recipient, Merrill Reese, represents exactly what we look for when we talk about who made a big impact in broadcasting,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement. “For nearly half a century, fans watching Eagles games, including opposing fans, have had the privilege of hearing Merrill’s legendary voice.”

The last thing Reese expected was to get a call from the Hall of Fame, despite his long tenure in the booth and his lifelong dedication to the Eagles.

“I was shocked. Absolutely shocked and overwhelmed,” Reese told The Inquirer, admitting he got a little emotional during the phone call. “It was the furthest thing from my mind.”

Reese will receive the award in August at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Canton, Ohio. Past winners of the award include Jim Nantz; Philadelphia native Andrea Kremer; John Facenda, the late voice of NFL Films; and Joe Buck, a big Reese fan who compared the Eagles announcer to his own father, legendary broadcaster Jack Buck.

“He’s great. His emotions are on his sleeve,” Buck told The Inquirer in 2019. “I can almost hear some of my dads because I feel like there’s almost a crackle in his voice because of the excitement when the team plays well, or the discouragement when someone completes a big pass or gets a touchdown against Philadelphia.

Reese is the longest-tenured announcer in the NFL, calling Eagles games since 1977. He was thrust into the play-by-play position after the death of Eagles announcer Charlie Swift near the end of the 1977 season , and 46 years later, he’s only just playing. about as beloved by fans as the franchise itself.

In a statement, Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie praised Reese’s “true enthusiasm, passion and unwavering dedication to his craft.”

Before becoming the voice of the Eagles, Reese enjoyed a radio career that included stops in Pottstown and Levittown (where he remains co-owner of WBCB-AM) before being hired by WIP and landing the job as host of the pre-game and post-game coverage of the station’s Eagles. watch. He did this for four years before replacing color analyst Al Pollard in the booth in 1977.

Besides calling the team a Super Bowl victory in 2018, Reese said he thought the pinnacle of his career was being placed in the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2016. But Reese said he received the Pete Rozelle Award and being added to the list of legendary broadcasters. in the Hall of Fame “is the highest honor I have ever received.”

Next season will be Reese’s 27th season in the booth alongside former Eagles wide receiver Mike Quick; this is the final year of a contract Reese signed in 2022. Even at 80 years old, Reese is still excited to call games for the team he grew up rooting for at Overbrook Park and cheering for at Franklin Field – and he turned down numerous offers to join over the years. national broadcasts.

“I want to do this forever,” Reese said. “There is no end date. I feel good. I remain in good shape, my voice has not changed and my eyesight is good. There is nothing I would rather do in the world.