Caridi’s love for play-by-play shows in every broadcast
Tony Caridi’s passion for calling WVU football and basketball action is clear every time he steps behind a microphone. (Courtesy WVU Athletics)
After 25 years of servicing radio airwaves, Tony Caridi still loves what he does.
Maybe it doesn't come as a shock, though. Caridi is one of the luckiest people out there. He gets to talk sports, specifically West Virginia athletics, every day and gets paid to do so.
Caridi is the current play-by-play voice of the Mountaineer football and basketball teams, a microphone he's been holding since 1996 when he replaced the great Jack Flemming.
And since then, Tony has obsessed over improving his craft, studying his own work, spending countless nights searching for facts and nuggets to give his audience the best listening experience possible.
This is how Caridi describes his duty as a radio artist while calling WVU games.
“I’m here to explain in specific detail what’s happening. I do that by attempting to describe the game as if every listener was blind. My goal is that if someone is sightless that I can make them appreciate and understand what’s happening at that moment ... so they know what a field looks like, they know what a court looks like.”
When you listen to Caridi, it doesn't take long to hear the imaginative description and passion in his voice. Check out this clip from WVU's win over No. 15 Virginia Tech. Caridi sets the scene for the contest during the pregame broadcast.
But Cardi isn't just known in the Mountain State, he's established a reputation as one of the best in the business.
Caridi was a recent guest on the Mountaineer Media Podcast (you can listen here) where he discussed some of his favorite memories as the current play-by-play voice of the Mountaineers, as well as, taking over for the late, great Flemming - who was incredibly beautiful with his diction too.
So next time you catch Caridi calling a football or basketball game, close your eyes and let Caridi's language take you to Mountaineer Field or WVU Coliseum. It'll almost be as if you're there.
