Cal Football: Joe Starkey Voted 'Voice of College Sports Award' Winner

Joe Starkey, who delivered the now-famous frenetic call of Cal’s five-lateral kickoff return in the 1982 Big Game that became known as The Play, has been voted the 2022 recipient of the Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award.

Starkey, who turned 80 last fall, has been Cal’s radio play-by-play announcer for 47 seasons, dating back to 1975.

"Many thanks to all who are responsible for granting me this huge honor," Starkey said in a statement. "College Sports is filled with talented and dedicated broadcasters whose primary goal is to provide the most complete and entertaining description they can possibly deliver in the craziness that can often be part of football, basketball, or other collegiate rivalries. It's a great honor to be included in such distinct company.”

The award is presented by the National Sports Media Association and sponsored by Learfield and the North Carolina athletics department. Starkey will be honored at the 62nd NSMA awards banquet in Winston-Salem, NC on June 27.

Starkey has described the action for generations of Cal fans, but none of his calls is more enduring than the ’82 Big Game, where he screeched, “The band is on the field,” as Stanford’s band prematurely celebrated what became the Bears’ most famous victory.

In his nearly half-century behind the mic for Cal, Starkey has broadcast 538 of 545 Cal games. He was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018 after having the radio booth at Memorial Stadium named the Joe Starkey Broadcast Booth in his honor in 2016.

Former Cal quarterback Mike Pawlawski, who has worked 26 years with Starkey as Cal’s sideline reporter and more recently the color analyst, called his partner winning the Voice of College Sports Award “pretty awesome.”

“First of all, he’s just a seasoned pro. It’s really nice working with someone who gets it,” Pawlawski said. “He’s got such a great nature about him. He’s such a nice guy and so much fun on the air. He’s got a clever wit about him.”

Asked if he has any idea how much longer Starkey will continue to call Cal games, Pawlawski said simply, “My opinion is Joe can keep doing this for as long as he wants. I love working with him.”

Starkey spent 20 years (1989-2008) broadcasting both Cal and San Francisco 49ers games, typically on consecutive days, which meant some crazy, overnight travel.

A native of Chicago who earned his bachelor’s a master’s degrees in business from Loyola University Chicago, Starkey also has served as play-by-play announcer for the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos in the NFL, the California/Oakland Golden Seals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Rockies in the NHL, and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

He also called Cal basketball games and was sports director for KGO radio.

In 2010, Starkey received the Chris Schenkel Award from the National Football Foundation for his distinguished career broadcasting college football

Cover photo of Joe Starkey by Kelley L. Cox, KLC fotos

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo