Gary Hahn, who has been the radio voice of NC State football and men’s basketball for 34 years, announced Saturday that he will retire at the end of the upcoming basketball season.
Hahn, who initially joined the Wolfpack Sports Network before the 1990-91 athletic year, made the announcement during the post-game show following NC State’s big win over Clemson.
“I will be pushing 72 years old, so I’m in the fourth quarter of my life, and there are other important things I’d like to do—and need to do—with the time that the Lord has planned for me,” said Hahn. “This decision will give me the opportunity to finish strong.”
Hahn was named North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in both 2011 and 2020.
Some have questioned the timing of the announcement, presuming that it was meant to get lost in the hoopla of the huge football victory. If that were the case, it would probably be because Hahn is known at this point for his ill-advised comments last bowl season, in which he shared a score update from the Sun Bowl featuring a rather insensitive detail.
“One other bowl game involving an ACC team going on, that’s the Sun Bowl,” said Hahn during his update from the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. “And amongst all the illegal aliens down in El Paso, it’s UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6.”
Hahn was suspended indefinitely by Learfield for the comments on December 30 but returned to the booth two weeks later after apologizing.
“As for the reason for my absence, the comments I made on Dec. 30 during the Duke’s Mayo Bowl were not appropriate in the format of the game broadcast,” Hahn said in January. “It took focus away from our outstanding student-athletes and it was not my intention to detract from the field of competition or bring any kind of unneeded stress to NC State University. I apologize for any issues that this may have caused. I love broadcasting NC State games and it is certainly a privilege for me to be able to continue that.”
Per the school, NC State and Learfield will honor Hahn at a home men’s basketball game later this season.
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.