Andrew Siciliano will have some tough shoes to fill in his first NFL gig post-NFL Network. On Thursday, it was announced that Siciliano would succeed Jim Donovan in the Cleveland Browns booth.
We’ve named Andrew Siciliano as our new play-by-play announcer for the @UHhospitals Browns Radio Network
📰 » https://t.co/4KGKxWDP1W pic.twitter.com/y4AZBciEVj
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 5, 2024
Siciliano had filled in for Donovan for three games during the 2023 regular season as the 68-year-old battled cancer. Still, the plan was for the legendary announcer to remain the Cleveland Browns’ radio voice.
Earlier this year, Donovan retired from his role as sports director and anchor at WKYC, Cleveland’s NBC affiliate. While he originally planned to continue as the Browns’ radio voice, his ongoing battle with cancer forced him to step down just two weeks before the start of the season.
He had been diagnosed with leukemia in 2000 and undergone a bone marrow transplant in 2011. Despite a relapse in 2023, he returned to call the Browns’ playoff run, receiving a game ball from Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski following a Week 11 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He celebrated what he had hoped would be his final radiation treatment in February.
While his absence will be felt during Browns games this fall, it’s not like Siciliano isn’t a seasoned broadcaster. He has a history of hosting NFL Sunday Ticket RedZone and NFL Total Access, covering the Olympics, and calling Big Ten Football games. Most recently, he was the play-by-play announcer for the Rams’ preseason broadcast.
Siciliano will partner with Nathan Zegura in the Browns booth, with Je’Rod Cherry reporting from the sidelines.
And in case you forgot, here’s what Siciliano in the booth looked like in 2023:
the booth was fired up amidst @AmariCooper9‘s historic game 🔊 pic.twitter.com/a11jP6W42s
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 26, 2023
Siciliano hasn’t forgotten.
“I’m honored for the opportunity, but wish the circumstances were different,” Siciliano said. “Like every Browns fan, I was stunned last week when I learned of Jim’s retirement. I know I have big shoes to fill. Jim’s an icon, an amazing man, and an indelible part of this community. I’m so grateful to Jim for his gracious support last season when I did a few games and will never forget sitting in the stands and listening to his call when the Browns clinched the playoffs in Week 17.”
“I’m one of millions of Browns fans who have lived through Jim’s calls for the last 25 years. If I was at home, I would sync the radio feed to the TV. If I was working, and I was usually working, I would scour the internet looking for Jim’s calls. No big game or big play or great moment was complete without his voice. I am flattered, and I am grateful to the Browns for giving me this amazing opportunity. It is a humbling honor. Jim’s an icon.”
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.