Al McCoy, Who Called Suns Games on Radio for More than Half-century, Has Died at 91

FILE - Phoenix Suns radio announcer Al McCoy during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers, Sunday, April 9, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
FILE - Phoenix Suns radio announcer Al McCoy during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers, Sunday, April 9, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
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Al McCoy, Who Called Suns Games on Radio for More than Half-century, Has Died at 91

FILE - Phoenix Suns radio announcer Al McCoy during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers, Sunday, April 9, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
FILE - Phoenix Suns radio announcer Al McCoy during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers, Sunday, April 9, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)

Al McCoy, who was the radio voice of the Phoenix Suns for more than a half-century, has died. He was 91.

The team made the announcement on Saturday and released a statement from his family. No cause of death was disclosed.

McCoy was the longest-tenured team broadcaster in NBA history, calling Suns games for 51 years. He called his first game on his Sept. 27, 1972 and his last on May 11, 2023. His tenure included Phoenix’s NBA Finals appearances in 1976, 1993 and 2021, The AP reported.

“This is a sad day for the Suns and the Suns family,” former Suns star Charles Barkley said in a statement. “Al McCoy represented everything that is great about Phoenix, the Phoenix Suns and people who love basketball. I was blessed and honored to work with Al and I’m gonna miss him.”

McCoy is a member of the franchise’s Ring of Honor and a 2009 inductee into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame. He also earned the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

McCoy was born in 1933 in Williams, Iowa, and got his first radio job in 1951 in Webster City, Iowa, when he was a freshman at Drake. He moved to Arizona in 1956 as the play-by-play announced for the Triple-A Phoenix Giants baseball team. During his tenure with the Suns, he became known for his catchphrases such as “Shazam,” “Zing Go the Strings” and “Heartbreak Hotel.”

“I had the privilege of Al McCoy narrating the first eight years of my career,” Suns star Devin Booker said. “He was inducted into the Ring of Honor my second season, and it was then I really understood what a special talent he was. And over the course of my career, I’ve learned what an even more special person he was.

“We will miss Al, and I am so glad our legacies in Phoenix are forever connected.”



Soccer-Liverpool's Portuguese Forward Diogo Jota Dies in Car Crash in Spain

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Everton - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 2, 2025 Liverpool's Diogo Jota reacts after being substituted  REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Everton - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 2, 2025 Liverpool's Diogo Jota reacts after being substituted REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
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Soccer-Liverpool's Portuguese Forward Diogo Jota Dies in Car Crash in Spain

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Everton - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 2, 2025 Liverpool's Diogo Jota reacts after being substituted  REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Everton - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 2, 2025 Liverpool's Diogo Jota reacts after being substituted REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota and his brother died in a car crash in northwestern Spain early on Thursday, when their Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames, authorities said.

Evidence at the scene of the crash near the city of Zamora suggests Jota's car suffered a burst tyre while overtaking, Spanish police said in a statement.

Jota, 28, had in late June just married his partner of ten years with whom he had three children, according to Reuters.

"We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything we can to honor their legacy every day," the Portuguese Football Federation said of Jota and his brother Andre Silva, a footballer who played for Penafiel in the Portuguese second division.

Police said their bodies have been taken to a forensics unit in Zamora where autopsies will be performed.

"The news of the death of Diogo Jota, an athlete who greatly honored the name of Portugal, and his brother, is unexpected and tragic," Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on X. "I offer my most sincere condolences to his family."

Jota helped Liverpool win the Premier League last season and also won the FA Cup and League Cup with the Merseyside outfit.

Born in Porto, he began his career with local team Pacos de Ferreira before switching to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017. Jota arrived at Anfield in 2020 and scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club in all competitions.

"Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota," the club said on X.

He also made 49 appearances for Portugal, twice winning the UEFA Nations League.

"It is a remarkable achievement for a small guy that came from Gondomar, where I had this dream," Jota said on Liverpool’s website of winning the Premier League. "It's a moment I will cherish forever."