May 31, 2000
Berkeley, CA -
The Cal Athletic Department announced Wednesday it has appointed Dick Callahan to serve as public address announcer for Golden Bear football games. Cal also said it has reached agreement with Ed Kleinhans to serve as public address announcer for Cal's men's basketball games. John Atkinson will continue to serve as public address announcer for Cal's women's basketball games and volleyball matches.
The new appointments were made following recommendations from an advisory committee comprised of administrative staff, alumni and coaches that were present for auditions for the positions in mid-May.
Cal has hired a pro's pro in Dick Callahan, who has served as the Golden State Warriors public address announcer for the past 18 seasons. During his nearly 750 NBA games, Callahan has missed only 13 games in his long career, seven of those while he recovered from heart surgery five years ago.
He has also been the PA announcer for St. Mary's football games since 1975. His long announcing resume also includes some interesting stints. He was the play-by-play voice of the San Francisco Pioneers in the now defunct women's pro basketball league in 1980-81. His color man for those broadcasts was current San Francisco Giant Vice President Larry Baer.
Callahan was chosen to serve as public address announcer for the World Championship Games in Toronto in 1994 when the U.S. Dream Team II won the Gold Medal over Russia. Callahnan announced 10 games involving 11 different countries, including the bronze and gold medal games as well as the closing ceremonies. He was the annoucer for the NBA All-Star game in Oakland this past February. He also is the voice of the Sega Dreamcast NBA 2000 game as was the voice on Sony's first-ever Play Station basketball game.
"Dick has an unmatched reputation on both the local and national level," said Cal Athletic Director John Kasser. "We feel very fortunate to have him join us in this important role. His voice has a great texture and we think our Cal fans will quickly appreciate his talents behind the mike."
Callahan is a partner in the insurance firm of Kosich and Callahan, with two offices in the East Bay. He and his wife, Patricia, reside in Moraga. Callahan has three daughters: Colleen, a Cal graduate who serves as a Vice President in the insurance firm, and Kelly and Katie, who both are working as actresses in New York.
Kleinhans is a 1994 graduate of Cal, who became known to thousands of Golden Bear fans in his role as a Mic-Man yell leader for football and basketball games during his student years.
"Eddy is a guy who not only bleeds blue and gold, but he has a terrific voice," said Kasser. "The coaching staff and players really wanted him to get the job and we were pleased that the selection committee recommended him. He knows the game and he'll be a consummate professional. We look forward to a long association with Ed as the Voice of Golden Bear Basketball."
Kleinhans, who works as an attorney at Cooley Godward LLP in San Francisco, served as a gameday announcer for starting line-ups for Cal basketball games during the 1998-99 season. He has also acted as the emcee for several Cal events, including Cal's Sweet 16 celebration on Sproul Plaza in 1993, various rallies and the 15th Anniversary party at the Recreational Sports Facility San Francisco.
He and his wife, former Cal soccer standout Alexis Thompson, reside in Berkeley.
While Kasser did not serve on the selection committee, he said he was pleased with the outcome of the audition process. "Dick and Eddie are great additions to our Cal family," said Kasser. "We were hopeful that we could attract candidates with a combination of a great voice, a solid knowledge of football and basketball, and an appreciation of our Cal tradition. I think we found all those qualities in these two and I believe our fans will appreciate them for years to come."
Both Callahan and Kleinhans were offered but declined payment for their public address duties and have instead elected to donate their services
