Eli Gold, the radio voice of Alabama Crimson Tide football, plans to be back in the booth for the 2023 college football season.
“I’m now healthy, ready to go and looking forward to the season,” Gold told Tide 100.9 on Friday.
Gold missed the entire 2022 season with what doctors eventually discovered was stage 3 cancer. The 69-year-old finished his cancer treatment in April after dealing with chemotherapy and losing a total of 148 pounds while spending 186 days in hospitals over that time.
“The doctors told Claudette, my wife, they told her a couple times I might not make it through the night,” Gold said in April. “I was a very sick boy. Turns out, I have gotten better. There’s still work to be done.”
Gold has been the voice of the Crimson Tide since 1988 and called 409 games in a row until he was sidelined by COVID-19 in 2020.
Some great news today: Eli Gold, the voice of Alabama football, tells @RyanCFowler he's coming back to call games this season.
Gold had stage 3 cancer. He is working out 3 times a week and will use the two August scrimmages to do practice broadcasts https://t.co/tRwlhJndy2— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) July 21, 2023
The announcer said on Friday that he has re-developed his ability to walk and although he carries a cane he doesn’t use it very often. His plan is to call two Alabama fall scrimmages to get back in game shape. He also says he cut “about 90 station promos” recently.
As for what he learned while he was stuck in the hospital fighting cancer, Gold says that you just have to keep fighting.
“You can’t give up, man,” Gold said. “You’ve got to fight. You can’t give up. I learned that.”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.