Guest Legacy 5.5 Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 I was just checking out ND Nation and someone posted that Tony got fired by Westwood One. They had a quote from Tony saying that "they fired me for no reason" and said that Don Crique (sp?) is going to replace him and that Pinkett was retained. I have no idea if this true but if it is I will have a hard time listening w/out the hall of famer. I am 27 and have not known anyone else calling our games, it will never be the same for me. Heres hoping it is only a rumor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BGIF Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 Don Criqui, ND grad, announced ND games in early 70's during Ara's Era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BGIF Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 This thread should be in football not recruiting. Irish fire long-time announcer By Teddy Greenstein Tribune media reporter May 15, 2006, 2:58 PM CDT Hall of Fame radio play-by-play announcer Tony Roberts is out after calling Notre Dame football games for 26 years. "They fired me," Roberts said. "For no cause." Roberts, who learned of the decision Monday from an executive at Westwood One Radio, will be replaced by veteran broadcaster and Notre Dame alumnus Don Criqui, who announced Notre Dame games from 1974 to 1976. Analyst Allen Pinkett, who had worked with Roberts since 2002, has been retained. "It was a great run and I'm sorry it's over," said Roberts, who started broadcasting Irish games in 1980. "I always wanted to walk away from it under my terms." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Legacy 5.5 Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 Sadly it is true. Here is the press release. http://www.westwoodone.com/site/pressrelease?pid=23799 Disappointing to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BGIF Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 WESTWOOD ONE ANNOUNCES DON CRIQUI AS THE NEW PLAY-BY-PLAY VOICE OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL New York, NY Monday, May 15, 2006 - Westwood One (NYSE: WON) announced today the appointment of Hall of Fame broadcaster Don Criqui as the play-by-play voice of Notre Dame football. Criqui will be joined by former All-American Notre Dame running back Allen Pinkett, who returns for his sixth season as color analyst for Notre Dame football on Westwood One. For the 39th consecutive year, Westwood One will provide complete play-by-play coverage of the entire 12-game Notre Dame football schedule. Criqui previously served as play-by-play announcer for Westwood One's Notre Dame broadcasts from 1974-1976. He will now succeed Tony Roberts who has been the Voice of Notre Dame football on Westwood One since 1980. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are the only college football team whose games are carried nationally on radio. Westwood One's coverage of the 2006 Notre Dame football season kicks off on Saturday, September 2nd as Georgia Tech hosts Notre Dame. "We're ecstatic to land Don Criqui, a football play-by-play talent extraordinaire and decades-long, network television and radio sports fixture," said EVP/GM of Westwood One Sports, David Halberstam. "Don will continue the long heritage of glittering Notre Dame announcers, going back to Van Patrick, Al Wester and most recently, Tony Roberts. At the same time, we thank Tony for his 26 years of service as Voice of the Irish. The Irish faithful will long remember his riveting calls of great Notre Dame moments along the way." "It's a thrill to again be the radio voice of the Fighting Irish," said Criqui. "Notre Dame football is heard on the largest radio network of any sports team in the world. It's an honor to be part of Westwood One's coverage." Don Criqui is renowned nationally as one of the outstanding play-by-play broadcasters on network television and radio. In addition to Westwood One's Notre Dame coverage, Criqui also serves as play-by-play announcer for the NFL on CBS Television. Criqui received critical acclaim for his work on NBC and CBS Sports' coverage of the NFL, and in 2003, was presented with the highest award for a broadcaster when he received the Pete Rozelle Award at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Criqui's many broadcast credits include college and NBA Basketball, fourteen Orange Bowls, Notre Dame football for Westwood One from 1974-1976, PGA and LPGA golf, the Olympic games, track and field, swimming, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, Criqui hosted "This Week in the NHL" on Westwood One from 1998-2002. Criqui is also widely known for his insight and humor during over 25 years as a contributor on Westwood One's Imus in The Morning and for more than 30 years, Criqui has served as one of the six regional heads of the Heisman Trophy committee. He and his wife Molly are the parents of four sons, one daughter and have six grandchildren. Westwood One is the leader in play-by-play sports broadcasts on radio. Westwood One's sports lineup includes regular season NFL football, the Playoffs and the Super Bowl; Notre Dame Football; NCAA Football and Basketball including the Final Four; NHL Hockey and the Stanley Cup Finals; Horse Racing's Triple Crown, U.S. Open Golf; the PGA Championship; and the Master's Golf Tournament and the 2006 Ryder Cup. Westwood One (NYSE: WON) provides over 150 news, sports, music, talk, entertainment programs, features, live events and 24/7 formats. Through its subsidiaries, Metro Networks/Shadow Broadcast Services, Westwood One provides local content to the radio and TV industries including news, sports, weather, traffic, video news services and other information. SmartRoute Systems manages traffic information centers for state and local departments of transportation, and markets traffic and travel content to wireless, Internet, in-vehicle navigation systems and voice portal customers. Westwood One serves more than 5,000 radio stations. Westwood One is managed by CBS Radio. ### For more information please contact: Peter Sessa Westwood One 212.641.2053 peter_sessa@westwoodone.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Legacy 5.5 Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 My apologies BGIF. Your right we never stray from recruiting on this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakko Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 Sadly it is true. Here is the press release. http://www.westwoodone.com/site/pressrelease?pid=23799 Disappointing to say the least. This is a huge bummer. One of my best memories as a kid was sitting by the radio with my dad listening to Tony Roberts call the ND games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockne3d Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 This thread should be in football not recruiting. Maybe this is true but I post all my ND posts on the recruiting board and I know I'm not the only one. By the way, I plan to still do so. I don't bother to even check the football one. I don't believe that we have had ANY issues with too much non-recruiting posting on this site. I think you guys have done an awesome job of providing recruiting and non-recruiting ND info on the recruiting arm of the site. I see no changes necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ryan Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 >> Moved to General Discussion << Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockne3d Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 In my best whining voice: just what I want to do everyday, check 2 boards (sarcasm). Prefer one spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest subatlanticirish Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 I am just sad to hear this news. There was just something magical about listening to Pagna and Roberts on American Armed Forces radio. I will naver forget listening to the ND v Penn State game in the snow it had me pumped for hours. I would willingly pay twice as much to listen to westwood one than ND'S homesite. Keep the faith!! GO IRISH!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cruiser148 Posted May 16, 2006 Share Posted May 16, 2006 New Poster but "OLD " ND Fan, How old???? Well I use to listen to Van Patrick and always marveled how he could do a Red Wings Game on Friday Night ,a Notre Dame Game on Saturday and then a Lions game on Sunday Afternoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlefabes09 Posted May 16, 2006 Share Posted May 16, 2006 WOW this is a complete shock i can not believe that tony is gone he was probly one of my favorite anouncers of all time i mean he was one of the greatest and this is a big blow to me i loved listing to him on satudays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishGuy Posted May 16, 2006 Share Posted May 16, 2006 Anytime a story breaks about Notre Dame, it’s big news nationally. Yesterday, long-time Irish radio announcer Tony Roberts was fired by Westwood One, who owns the rights to the radio broadcast. It was just a coincidence that Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White had arranged to spend some time with the media on Tuesday morning. He made it clear early that this decision was not the university’s. http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=109&p=2&c=531416&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fnotredame.scout.com%2f2%2f531416.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GwoodND Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Holtz speaks out No one would have begrudged former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz if he had declined to take calls Tuesday, considering he underwent hernia surgery Monday that left him with a five-inch incision. But Holtz wanted to speak up for Notre Dame radio play-by-play man Tony Roberts, whom Westwood One dismissed on Monday after 26 years in the radio booth. "I can't believe it," Holtz said of Roberts' removal. "He was Notre Dame football. I think Westwood One owes people an explanation." Holtz said he loved listening to Roberts because he brought "an excitement that made you want to be at the game." And Holtz admired Roberts' willingness to be objective, saying: "He wasn't any more critical of me than my wife was." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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