The longtime voice of the New York Mets will also be the voice of this year’s Seton Hall commencement speech.
While Gary Cohen has called Seton Hall basketball games since 2003, his famous pipes are more associated with the Orange and Blue. But he’ll be putting down the headset and after calling the team’s series opener in Cleveland on Monday, Cohen will make the trek back to New Jersey as Seton Hall’s Class of 2024 will become college graduates on Tuesday.
Tuesday at the Prudential Center in Newark will be the first time that Cohen will have ever worn a cap and gown in his entire life.
“It’s so totally out of nowhere and it’s pretty humbling, to think of the people normally called for this kind of role,” Cohen told northjersey.com. “I never envisioned anybody asking me to do this, so it’s very overwhelming.”
Not only will Cohen deliver this year’s commencement address, but the university — which he did not attend — will bestow upon him the honor of an honorary doctorate.
Cohen understands the weight of being recognized, like speaking to a large crowd. However, his role as a play-by-play announcer and a constant voice in sports keeps him hidden from the audience whose experience he narrates.
“I don’t really speak in public very much – I speak in private with people overhearing,” he said. “I don’t usually see my audience, so I don’t consider myself to be very good at speaking to people I can see.
“This obviously is completely different. You’re trying to provide some kind of worldview/guidance/words to live by for a bunch of kids who are just starting their path into their adult lives. It’s pretty daunting.”
The other daunting task for Cohen is making his way right back to Cleveland to call Tuesday’s Guardians-Mets game.
But that doesn’t seem to phase Cohen, who will graciously participate of an opportunity of a lifetime.
