Shortly after Brandon Gaudin announced that he was leaving Georgia Tech after three years as its play-by-play voice, athletic director Mike Bobinski’s email inbox filled up with possible replacements.
One of them is a broadcaster whose last name is likely familiar to most. Josh Caray, the grandson of baseball Hall of Famer Harry Caray, son of Braves broadcasting legend Skip Caray and half-brother of Braves broadcaster Chip Caray.
Josh Caray has been in the family business since 2007, starting as the play-by-play voice for the Rome Braves for two seasons. He now broadcasts football and basketball for Stony Brook University and calls games for the Hudson Valley Renegades, a Single-A minor-league team.
Caray’s email to senior associate athletic director Jack Thompson asking to be considered, which was forwarded to Bobinski, was part of an open-records request for emails to Bobinski regarding the opening.
Caray declined a request for comment.
Bobinski also received recommendations from two noteworthy colleagues, Wake Forest AD Ron Wellman and North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham. Wellman suggested Liberty play-by-play voice Alan York, adding that “if our position were open, Alan would be at the top of my list.”
Cunningham recommended University of Tulsa broadcaster Bruce Howard, with whom Cunningham worked when he was AD at the Oklahoma school. Howard was named the Oklahoma sportscaster of the year for 2014.
David Hubbard, a Tech grad who applied for the opening when it was ultimately filled by Gaudin, also wrote to Bobinski to ask to be considered. Hubbard was a longtime personality at 790 the Zone before the station dropped its local sports format in 2014.
Perhaps the most experienced talent Bobinski may vet is Mel Proctor, who emailed Bobinski to apply. Proctor has 26 years of experience calling major league baseball play-by-play. Proctor’s resume includes a blurb from a Washington Post columnist describing him as “so smooth that he might have come from a Waring blender.”
Others who either contacted Bobinski directly or were recommended: J.P. Shadrick, a show host with the Jacksonville Jaguars radio network; Larry Burnett, formerly an ESPN play-by-play voice and host of SportsCenter; Robbie Bullough, a play-by-play announcer for multiple BYU sports; and Mike Couzens, a broadcaster with ESPN.
