Longtime Phoenix Suns broadcaster Al McCoy has died at the age of 91

McCoy called games for the Suns for more than 50 years before he retired after the 2022-2023 season

PHOENIX — Longtime Phoenix Suns broadcaster Al McCoy has died at the age of 91, according to a post from the team.

“As a father, he taught us the value of respect, loyalty, hard work and love — both on and off the court. His passion dedication and kindness touched countless lives, and while he may be gone, the impact he made will be felt for generations to come,” the McCoy family said in a statement.

McCoy retired at the end of the 2022-2023 season after 51 years broadcasting for the team.

McCoy grew up as a farm boy in Iowa in the 1940s. He had no electricity and spent his afternoons listening to sports on a handheld radio. That love for radio, and sport, led him to broadcasting games for Drake University, where he attended college.

https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.668.1_en.html#goog_7685790
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.668.1_en.html#goog_7685791
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.668.1_en.html#goog_7685792

McCoy came to Arizona to call minor league baseball games and landed with the Suns when the team came to be during NBA expansion.

For decades, McCoy called just about every game the Suns played in, including two runs to the NBA Finals

Throughout his career, McCoy was honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with the Curt Gowdy Media Award and was placed in the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, and the Iowa Hall of Pride among many other prestigious awards.