Temple University Athletics
Temple Alum Merrill Reese Enters Pro Football Hall of Fame
6.14.24 | Football, General
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that the longtime radio voice of the Philadelphia Eagles, Merrill Reese, has been chosen to receive its 2024 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
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Reese earned a bachelor's degree in communications and broadcasting from Temple University. While in college, he learned his craft by doing play-by-play on WRTI-FM, the college's radio station.
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Coincidently, Reese is the third Temple alum to earn a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the past three years. In 2022, Art McNally became the first NFL game official to be enshrined. In 2023, Joe Klecko became Temple's first football player to earn his place in Canton.
"Each year, the Hall of Fame recognizes an individual who has dedicated their 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's made a big impact in broadcasting," said Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "For nearly a half century, fans tuning into Eagles games, including opposing fans, have had the privilege of hearing Merrill's legendary voice."
Reese will be honored during the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week that includes the Enshrinees' Gold Jacket Dinner in downtown Canton on Friday, Aug. 2, and the Class of 2024 Enshrinement on Saturday, Aug. 3, in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
"Oh, my god. Thank you so much," Reese said upon receiving the news. "I can't tell you what this means to me."
The beginning of the Eagles' 2024 season will mark Reese's 48th consecutive year as the team's radio play-by-play announcer. After a period in the U.S. Navy as Public Affairs Officer (Lieutenant Senior Grade), he sought out opportunities in radio broadcasting, auditioning at radio stations across southeastern Pennsylvania.
Reese began his professional radio career as a sportscaster for WPAZ in Pottstown, Pa., calling high school football games. Following that opportunity, Reese began working for WBCB in Levittown, Pa., where he currently serves as co-owner. In the early 1970s, he worked at different radio stations, doing morning sports on WWDB and pregame and postgame Eagles shows on WIP.Â
His life would change forever in 1977. That year, Reese provided color commentary alongside Charlie Swift, who had called Eagles games since 1969. During a morning show with WWDB, Reese received the news that Swift had passed and WIP wanted him to fill in as the lead play-by-play sportscaster.
Throughout his illustrious career, Reese has received numerous awards and recognition, including Pennsylvania Sportscaster of the Year, Lindsey Nelson Award for Excellence in Sportscasting, Philadelphia's Best Sportscaster by Philadelphia Magazine and induction into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Temple University Communications Hall of Fame and Overbrook High School Hall of Fame.
"I will never willingly retire," Reese once said in an interview. "They will have to remove me with a crane, because this is what I love doing more than anything else in the world."
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Reese earned a bachelor's degree in communications and broadcasting from Temple University. While in college, he learned his craft by doing play-by-play on WRTI-FM, the college's radio station.
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Coincidently, Reese is the third Temple alum to earn a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the past three years. In 2022, Art McNally became the first NFL game official to be enshrined. In 2023, Joe Klecko became Temple's first football player to earn his place in Canton.
"Each year, the Hall of Fame recognizes an individual who has dedicated their 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's made a big impact in broadcasting," said Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "For nearly a half century, fans tuning into Eagles games, including opposing fans, have had the privilege of hearing Merrill's legendary voice."
Reese will be honored during the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week that includes the Enshrinees' Gold Jacket Dinner in downtown Canton on Friday, Aug. 2, and the Class of 2024 Enshrinement on Saturday, Aug. 3, in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
"Oh, my god. Thank you so much," Reese said upon receiving the news. "I can't tell you what this means to me."
The beginning of the Eagles' 2024 season will mark Reese's 48th consecutive year as the team's radio play-by-play announcer. After a period in the U.S. Navy as Public Affairs Officer (Lieutenant Senior Grade), he sought out opportunities in radio broadcasting, auditioning at radio stations across southeastern Pennsylvania.
Reese began his professional radio career as a sportscaster for WPAZ in Pottstown, Pa., calling high school football games. Following that opportunity, Reese began working for WBCB in Levittown, Pa., where he currently serves as co-owner. In the early 1970s, he worked at different radio stations, doing morning sports on WWDB and pregame and postgame Eagles shows on WIP.Â
His life would change forever in 1977. That year, Reese provided color commentary alongside Charlie Swift, who had called Eagles games since 1969. During a morning show with WWDB, Reese received the news that Swift had passed and WIP wanted him to fill in as the lead play-by-play sportscaster.
Throughout his illustrious career, Reese has received numerous awards and recognition, including Pennsylvania Sportscaster of the Year, Lindsey Nelson Award for Excellence in Sportscasting, Philadelphia's Best Sportscaster by Philadelphia Magazine and induction into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Temple University Communications Hall of Fame and Overbrook High School Hall of Fame.
"I will never willingly retire," Reese once said in an interview. "They will have to remove me with a crane, because this is what I love doing more than anything else in the world."
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