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David Kelly (Tucsonnewsnow)
Over the next week or so, we will be introducing our readers to all the local sports anchors responsible for making Friday Nights come alive in your living room.
Today: David Kelly
David Kelly has had a very eventual 22-year career in broadcasting from doing play-by-play in the minors to working with IMG and the University of Arizona where he served as the anchor for the Arizona Wildcats Radio Network during football and men’s basketball broadcasts as well as working in a play-by-play capacity on UA softball and baseball games and everything else in between.
But most know him from his current work with Fox-11/KOLD-TV (CBS) (tucsonnewsnow.com) since 2011.
His father, Leroy, was a running back for the Browns and is in the NFL Hall of Fame and his late uncle Pat played 15 Major League seasons with five American League teams.
In his own words:
“I’ve covered high school athletics in some form at pretty much every stop on my broadcast tour.
My first job was in a little small central California town called Porterville where I was Sports Director at a local radio station that revolved around the prep sports schedule.
We carried two high school games on Friday night and during basketball season a minimum of four games per week. I called future big leaguer Steve Cox’s high school baseball games.
Then it was on to Bakersfield where a big bruising future NFL star named Joey Porter ruled the gridiron while a little lanky go cart racing kid named Kevin Harvick, was spinning the oval like no one had ever seen.
Later it was on to Cleveland and hearing about this freshman basketball star in Akron named Lebron James. Yah he might be pretty good.
And I’m pretty sure I called at least one high school football broadcast in which my current station sports colleague Dave Cooney actually played.
As far as Tucson, this is my fifth-year covering the youth sports scene.
One of my first stories was on diver Delaney Schnell who continues to make strides internationally.
I love the community aspect that surrounds the summer Little League All-Star schedule.
Tops thought I think so far, last season’s Salpointe Catholic-Tucson state baseball playoff game at Hi Corbett Field. It was a just a dramatic back-and-forth battle with Herculean performances by pitchers Miguel Figueroa and Donny Sands and Fernando Mungaray doing his best Edgar Martinez with a game-winning double down the left field line.
It’s great to see the future before it happens.”
BRAD ALLIS
PAUL CICALA
DAMIEN ALAMEDA
JASON BARR
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Andy Morales was recognized by the AIA as the top high school reporter in 2014 and has been a youth, high school and college coach for over 30 years. His own children have won multiple state high school championships and were named to all-state teams. Competing in hockey, basketball, baseball and track & field in high school, his unique perspective can only be found here, on AZPreps365.com and on the pages of the Vail Voice and the Tanque Verde Voice. Contact Andy Morales at AMoralesMyTucson@yahoo.com
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