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Inside The Huskies

Huskies Need New Voice After Castricone Heads To NFL

The play-by-play broadcaster leaves after nine seasons in Montlake.
Dan Raley|
Radio broadcaster Tony Castricone has left the UW after nine years to join the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Radio broadcaster Tony Castricone has left the UW after nine years to join the Tampa Bay Bucs. | Bucs

The University of Washington football and basketball teams will pause for a moment of silence, which just doesn't happen very often in Montlake.

The Huskies are in need of a new radio play-by-play broadcaster for just the third time in 44 years, with Tony Castricone revealing on Tuesday that he has accepted a job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their lead voice.

Castricone, 44, leaves for the NFL after nine seasons of calling both UW football and basketball. He offered up his personal news in a video pre-recorded in a Husky team room.

"I will always be a Dawg until the day I die," he said in the farewell clip. "And do me a favor: beat the Ducks."

While moving from coast to coast, Castricone won't be greeted by all strangers.

The Bucs currently employ five one-time UW football players, each of whom was in Seattle when he was up in the booth. Among them are quarterback Jake Browning, tight end Devin Culp, wide receiver Jalen McMillan, tight end Cade Otton and defensive tackle Vita Vea.

Castricone and the Bucs simultaneously released the news that he would be replacing the retiring Gene Deckershoff, who held his job for 36 seasons and was a central Florida institution.

“Following a comprehensive national search, we are thrilled to welcome Tony to the Buccaneers,” Bucs COO Brian Ford said in a news release. “Tony distinguished himself through his professionalism, preparation, passion and ability to connect with audiences. He understands the responsibility that comes with this role and possesses the talent and authenticity to build meaningful relationships with Buccaneers fans for years to come.”

Castricone will work alongside analyst and former Buccaneers tight end Dave Moore, who enters his 20th season in the radio booth.

Nearly a decade ago, Castricone similarly replaced a longstanding and beloved play-by-play broadcaster when he came to the UW and took over for Bob Rondeau, who retired after 40 years in the booth, 37 as the No. 1 guy.

Previously, Castricone was the radio voice for Clemson basketball only from 2014 to 2017.

An Ohio native, he first went to work as an anchor and a reporter for radio station WBNS in Columbus.

In describing the UW football action each weekend, Castricone could be seen standing throughout each game, binoculars in hand, and hopping around with each twist and turn.

While he didn't necessarily have a signature call, he was appreciated for his enthusiasm, preparation and soothing tones.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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