Joe Starkey

For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Joe Starke.

Joseph K. Starkey (born 1941)[1][2] is an American sportscaster who served as the radio play-by-play announcer of California Golden Bears football from 1975 to 2022.[1] He previously worked as the sports director of KGO radio in San Francisco, California and play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco 49ers for 20 seasons from 1989 to 2008.[3]

Starkey is most famous for his frenetic call of The Play in the 1982 Big Game between Cal and Stanford: "Oh, the band is out on the field!" Starkey nearly lost his voice during and after this event, which he hailed as "the most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heartrending, exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football!"[4]

  1. ^ a b Crumpacker, John (December 19, 2008). "Starkey to quit 49ers' booth". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  2. ^ Loyolan 1964. Loyola University Chicago. 1964. p. 121.
  3. ^ "Starkey Set for NFF On-Campus Salute Nov. 27". Calbears.com. September 21, 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  4. ^ "Transcript of Joe Starkey's call of the Play". San Diego Union Tribune. November 18, 2002. Archived from the original on November 21, 2002. Retrieved August 18, 2022.