Eli Gold Not Expected To Return To Booth In 2024

[imauafan]

The handwriting was on the wall when Chris Stewart was the emcee for the press conference to formally introduce Kalen Deboer as the new head coach. If Eli was in attendance, I didn't see him so I had a hunch then that Eli might be on the way out. For part of the season, I didn't have streaming service to cut expenses but I was still able to catch most of the games on OTA tv except for one (Arkansas?) which I tried to listen to the radio broadcast and quite frankly it was not good. I could not follow the action so I turned it off. Eli obviously didn't want to retire but it was time. Even if he didn't recognize, the university did and decided to go in a different direction. Eli was not Saban, he doesn't deserve the right to go out on his own terms. He should self critique and realized that he had slipped quite a bit and stepped down on his own but he chose not to, so the university decision makers had to make a hard, but correct, decision to go in a new direction.

 

[CB4]

Perkins was also AD.

This is about the university’s brand, and so if any university employee made the call or urged it, had to be Byrne, or at least someone under his command…

I concur. I believe the decision was due to noticeable decline in his overall abilities (due in many ways to his well documented recent health issues) and Eli probably asking for a “home only” schedule (alluded to in a Ryan Brown tweet yesterday).

Yesterday on Tide 100.9, Eli said the “university” did say they felt there had been a decline in his play by play quality in recent years which he “didn’t agree with”.

I’m sure given Eli’s 35 years as the voice of Alabama football this was not an easy decision to make. However I also believe the University had been very accommodating to Eli’s many other broadcast commitments over the years as well. Eli may not agree with “university’s decision” but they were within their right to make a decision they believe protects or improves their brand.

 

[Slowpoke Catracho]

First, we don't know exactly how this went down and everyone should stop blaming the University. It takes two agreeing parties for a negotiation.

Secondly, growing up in Selma in the 70s and early 80s Forney, Layton, and Duncan will always be the best broadcast team for me!

Good Luck, Eli!

 

[dayhiker]

Interesting comments on WJOX this morning. A caller had all of this advice on how it should have been handled. McElroy basically said many things were offered, hinted at a big celebration of Eli at A-Day and it was evidently turned down by Eli. He was obviously being guarded in what he was saying, but Cublic backed him up an was willing to say more.

 

[davefrat]

Eli was great...now he's gone.

Such is life.

 

[Cruloc]

Meh, they could have at least agreed to something and let him go out this season....like a farewell tour. Eli was the voice of the football program for over 30 years, this should have been handled better.

 

[BamaMoon]

I never had an emotional connection to Eli because I rarely listened to games on radio in the last 30 years or so.

The optics aren't good, but I wonder if this is also about just having a new, fresh clean start.

Eli's days were limited no matter if he came back this year or not.

 

[bamadwain]

Eli is the voice of Bama football and Chris Stewart will do well at least he went out on a high note calling 4th and 31!!!!!

 

[BamaBoySince89]

I kinda knew this was coming, but I do hate the way it was done but it’s life and sometimes you have to make the hard decisions about people that have had the most impact. It would have been great to have Eli call the Georgia, Mizzou(HC) and Auburn games as a farewell at least.

TBH, his call on 4th & 31 wasn’t as animated as others have been over the years but that’s just my opinion. But true enough, I’ll miss ol Eli and it will be strange knowing we won’t hear “Touchdown Alabama!” coming from his voice any longer.

Hopefully Chris Stewart takes the reins and does a good job. I was particularly not too fond of Stewart in the beginning but it seems he’s grown into the role.

 

[Redwood Forrest]

Since this is an opinion topic on broadcasters, I have one too. I liked Eli but i did not like his play by play because (so many times) he would not tell be what yard line the was placed on. It was very frustrating. But Eli had his moments, like "Touchdoooooooooowwwwnnnnnnnn ALAAAAbama" I always thought Eli should have been the color guy instead of the play by play guy. I am a Bama fan regardless of who the coaches or broadcasters are so this will not change my fandom.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Regarding "how it went down", I have no idea. But what I can tell you is most people struggle with coming to terms with when they need to "step away" aka "retire". There's a component of it that takes admitting they've reached a point in their lives where the workforce doesn't want or need them anymore. They also have to admit they have lost a lot of common everyday skills needed in the workplace they used to wake up every day and never have to think about trying to do.

It can be very depressing for people in this stage of life. I have two parents who have had to come to terms with their age, health, and having to retire. Most of the people retiring now have worked in some form or fashion since they were kids. Work is all they know. Listen to Saban, who worked at his dad's gas station changing tires, pumping gas, etc. My parents were a lot like that, and it is very different from how most kids grow up today. Maybe Eli (like Corso) should retire, but I'm not going to pile on the guy because odds are he may be going through a stage in life that can be soberly depressing for people who have worked their entire lives and that's all they know.

 

[CB4]

Interesting comments on WJOX this morning. A caller had all of this advice on how it should have been handled. McElroy basically said many things were offered, hinted at a big celebration of Eli at A-Day and it was evidently turned down by Eli. He was obviously being guarded in what he was saying, but Cublic backed him up an was willing to say more.

I heard the McElroy’s comments as well. Sounded as though the University was offering him a time of recognition for his service and Eli wanted no part of it.

 

[dayhiker]

I heard the McElroy’s comments as well. Sounded as though the University was offering him a time of recognition for his service and Eli wanted no part of it.

Each time Mac said that UA offered whatever point the guy was saying we were wrong to not offer, he just kept doubling down.
Well, they shoulda done this.
They did.
Well, they really shoulda tried this.
They did.
Well still, for someone that was there this long, the optics are bad......They should explain to the public that they tried all of this.
Well, then that throws Eli under the bus...


I finally just changed the channel.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I want to add my two nickels' worth (inflation, you know) because some interesting thoughts expressed here and I concur with the bulk of them.

Eli Gold is a PLAY-BY-PLAY announcer.
Not a legendary coach.
Not a legendary player.
Not a legend in the front office who oversaw massive growth.
He's a guy who tells people listening on the radio - or apparently doesn't from many of the comments - what is happening so the couple in rural Lafayette listening to the game on their radios can get a mental picture.

1) Everyone gets replaced.
The only questions are "when", "how" and "by whom or what."
Maybe it's a computer.
Maybe it's globalization.
Maybe the backup QB throws better than the starting QB with only one loss on his two-year resume.
IT. HAPPENS.

2) Eli loves Alabama and they done him wrong. (That's the assessment)
This is the point where I say, "If he loves Alabama so much and his performance has sunk, he has an obligation to the university he loves to step aside and make this easy." I hate to break it to folks but company/brand loyalty virtually never runs either uphill or downhill anymore because it doesn't have to. Coach Saban was never going to be Coach Bryant in that sense - because Bryant played here, it was a different thing for him than it could ever be for Saban (this is not a judgment, just an observation). But time marches on and things change. Speaking of which....

3) Change needs to be done incrementally and whoo boy...
Just seven weeks ago, we were looking at a possible 8th national championship ring for Saban (7 at Alabama)...now we've lost a DC, head coach, a ton of players, and the play-by-play announcer (and I'm sure others I haven't even noticed). Rapid change doesn't tend to go over well. You would THINK that rapid change would dissipate and diffuse the discomfort, but for reasons I can't explain, it tends to make even smaller things become bigger to the fearmonger. I know Bryant was dissed for his slow move towards integration, but given he survived and thrived afterwards, it seems to me his critics on that issue need to get bent (as if Bryant could have come out and issues a Moses-like decree ending segregation on the football team). A few years back I got into a heated discussion with an African-American man giving me the party line about Colin Kaepernick and in the same context Bryant's "refusal to integrate" came up. At which point I said, "Now tell me - which approach actually accomplished more and had more long-term good for more people, Bryant's focused approach or the absolutism of Crusader Colin?" Of course, people never admit when they're wrong and he got mad (with the always expected accusation that I was okay with segregation), but the results speak for themselves. INCREMENTAL change effective. Severing arms and legs and thinking we will create the bionic man? Well, that was a TV show.

4) Your way out is up to you until it is no longer up to you.
Once upon a time, John Elway threw for 336 yards in a Super Bowl game, the third highest in SB history at that time, and won the game's MVP. A little over 3 months later, he stood before the podium and broke down in tears saying he "couldn't do it anymore." Mike Schmidt, the greatest third baseman ever, called a press conference to retire, saying his skills had deteriorated...yet he was still in the top 10 in the league in HRs and RBIs at age 39.

Eli's exit is sounding more like Mack Brown sans having a legend in waiting to replace him.
"Mack/Eli, we really wish you'd leave with a nice gold watch here."
Mack/Eli: "But even though you don't want me, I want to stay here!"

Cue the music for the finale of "Mr Holland's Opus"......

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Interesting comments on WJOX this morning. A caller had all of this advice on how it should have been handled. McElroy basically said many things were offered, hinted at a big celebration of Eli at A-Day and it was evidently turned down by Eli. He was obviously being guarded in what he was saying, but Cublic backed him up an was willing to say more.

I heard the McElroy’s comments as well. Sounded as though the University was offering him a time of recognition for his service and Eli wanted no part of it.

This is entirely consistent with the performer's ego I saw several years ago.

A few minutes ago, Eli was on the WBRC-6 morning news show in Birmingham. He was playing the noble but wronged legend for all it was worth. Included patting himself on the back for how well he was handling the situation and several "humble" brags that weren't really so humble.

 

[TideEngineer08]

This is entirely consistent with the performer's ego I saw several years ago.

A few minutes ago, Eli was on the WBRC-6 morning news show in Birmingham. He was playing the noble but wronged legend for all it was worth. Included patting himself on the back for how well he was handling the situation and several humble brags.

Well that's all very disappointing. That's sowing discord.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I kinda knew this was coming, but I do hate the way it was done but it’s life and sometimes you have to make the hard decisions about people that have had the most impact. It would have been great to have Eli call the Georgia, Mizzou(HC) and Auburn games as a farewell at least.

TBH, his call on 4th & 31 wasn’t as animated as others have been over the years but that’s just my opinion. But true enough, I’ll miss ol Eli and it will be strange knowing we won’t hear “Touchdown Alabama!” coming from his voice any longer.

Hopefully Chris Stewart takes the reins and does a good job. I was particularly not too fond of Stewart in the beginning but it seems he’s grown into the role.

With every game on multiple outlets nowadays, the days of a single broadcaster being entrusted with an iconic call on the spur of the moment are gone.

"Brad Nessler's call wasn't that good? Fine. Cue up home announcer. Not good? Cue up away announcer."

 

[Ledsteplin]

I really hate to see Eli go. I've been listening to his play by play on the radio while watching it on TV for many years. He's the reason I did that, along with avoiding certain announcers on CBS. Don't know if I'll do that with Chris. I like Chris ok, but not enough to have game audio a play series (12 to 15 seconds) ahead of TV.

 

[DanoCanuck]

Several thoughts on this.

There are some parallels and some differences between the end of Eli's tenure and the end of John Forney's.

Without question, Forney was pushed out by Ray Perkins. Previous posters have noted other of Perkins' moves. I seriously doubt DeBoer had anything to do with Eli's departure.

Eli was the voice of Alabama football during the Stallings and Saban glory years. Forney was the voice of Alabama football during the Bryant heydays. Both unquestionably loved University of Alabama athletics. If you couldn't watch the game on TV or in person, both were maddening to listen to.

In Forney's day, not many games were televised. In Gold's tenure, almost all of them were. Neither was worth anything in keeping a listener up to date on down, distance and clock.

Due to so little TV, it was a greater flaw for Forney. Gold got bailed out by people watching on TV and listening to him for the play-by-play....announcing the details wasn't as important. The last time I had to listen to Eli calling a game with no visual accompaniment was vs. South Carolina in Columbia in 2019. Long story short, I had to listen while driving. I was yelling at the radio and about to pull my hair out trying to follow.

My parents used to tell similar stories about listening to games broadcast by Forney. Even before his illness, there was significant dissatisfaction with Eli expressed on this board.

So with all the nostalgia for Eli, I'm reminded of an old joke: How many Alabama fans does it take to change a burned-out light bulb? Four. One to change the burned-out bulb, and three to stand around and talk about how good the old one was.

When I was active in the Alumni Association, I dealt with Eli several times. He has an opinion of himself that is common amongst a lot of performers and basks in the reflected glow of the success of the program during much of his tenure. As if he had a hand in the on-field success of the team.

Then Eli got sick, and it was tough. Chris Stewart made it quite clear that he was, "just keeping the seat warm," (a phrase he used repeatedly) awaiting Eli's return. That struck me as a bow to Eli's ego.

Some here may remember that Stewart replaced Eli as the voice of Alabama basketball. Through no fault of Stewart's, the decision wasn't handled well. Still, I have no doubt Eli never fully got over that, and Stewart was trying to head off an awkward situation.

After Eli came back from his illness, it was painfully obvious that he wasn't his old self. For all of us, there comes a time when we need to hang it up, whether we want to or not.

Eli clearly doesn't feel that time has yet come for him. Which, in combination with the ego, I think led him to air the laundry publicly. Which is what I think is the real bad look.

As to who made the decision, I don't know. It would not have been made lightly. If I had to guess, Learfield / Crimson Tide Sports Network almost certainly ran it by Greg Byrne. It's also possible that Byrne was the one approaching CTSN. Regardless, Dr. Bell would have been aware, and there may have even been an informal briefing to the Board of Trustees. Those guys hate being blind-sided on something that public. The nightmare would be Byrne or Bell or a member of the BoT not knowing and being asked a question by a reporter. One way or another, they just had to know.

Yes, it's sad. Yes, it was time.

Late Add: Regarding having earned the right to call one's own exit: Compare Bobby Bowden's exit -- stayed in the chair way too long, and FSU finally had to nudge him out -- vs. Nick Saban's. Saban stayed until he either couldn't or no longer wanted to perform to his own championship standards. Then he made a graceful exit.

Bowden and Saban both earned the right to make their own call. Bowden made the wrong one. Saban made the right one.

I agree that Eli had earned the right to call his own exit. But with that right comes the responsibility to know when the time has come. Eli didn't do that. Then he publicly aired a decision he didn't like, clearly aiming to stir public emotion to his side.

This is an excellent view off the situation. I dont like Eli getting booted but I have also met him and I know his ego would fill a couple dump trucks. I did like him but he always wanted that ego stroked. Regardless, it shouldn't have come out like this. I just hate the look but dont disagree with the call.

CHEERS...

 

[CrimSonami]

Sorry to see Eli's legendary career for Bama Football come to an end. I don't/haven't listened much to radio broadcasts for several years now but would sometimes tune in if I were driving, on a motorcycle ride or busy in the garage. There was no doubt you'd found the right channel when hearing his distinctive voice and delivery, but I too think it was time based on what little I heard over last season. I have no idea how the chain of events occurred but as others have stated you have to stop and reflect on your performance and effectivity at times to gage where you are in life and career. I know I've had to lately having recently turned 65. It can be really frustrating realizing your mind and body are in decline and difficult to admit you'll never be what you were before.

So, to Eli Gold. Thank you for your contribution and dedication to THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA and may your roads to your next endeavors be smooth and clear.

ROLL TIDE!!!