Good Morning, Broncos Country!
Alan Roach has one of those voices that all boys dream they'll one day develop. Heck, even some men would give an arm for a voice like his.
Deep.
Smooth.
Recognizable.
And you announce sports? For a living?
Fans of the Denver Broncos have grown accustomed to that voice at Mile High Stadium. Roach had been the full-time announcer since 2007, and a PA announcer with the team for 16 years.
Roach took over for the venerable Alan Cass, who was the Broncos PA announcer for 20 years.
Come the 2016 season, Broncos Country will hear a new voice introduce the defending Super Bowl champs out of the south tunnel. Roach will now serve as PA announcer for the Minnesota Vikings.
"I've never experienced anywhere else in the world, a group of fans as passionate as those who follow the Denver Broncos," Roach wrote on his website on Monday. "Thank you, Broncos Country, for an incredible ride."
A Fond Farewell to #BRONCOS #BRONCOSCOUNTRY #BRONCOSNATION #UNITEDINORANGE
— Alan Roach (@MileHighRoach) June 27, 2016
THANK YOU FANS!https://t.co/mdB1WD9C4D
Roach will continue to serve as the PA announcer at the Pepsi Center for the Colorado Avalanche, which is awesome news.
But who will replace Roach as the voice of Mile High?
Perhaps another "Alan" is in order.
In all seriousness, here are a few names the Broncos might consider. For this story, the focus is on those announcers who are affiliated with local teams or have local ties. Given the amount of PA announcers around the country, the list would become endless without some criteria.
The obvious choice is Kyle Speller, who is the PA announcer for the Denver Nuggets. He's served in that role since 2005.
If the organization wants someone with the experience of replacing Roach, it could call on Reed Saunders. Saunders took over as the Colorado Rockies PA announcer for Roach in 2007 and has been the voice of Coors Field since. Saunders also has done Colorado Eagles games since their inception in 2003. The Eagles are a minor league hockey team that plays in Loveland.
Who does #BroncosCountry want to replace Roach at Mile High? The #Nuggets cat? Willy B?
— Ian St. Clair (@IanStClair) June 27, 2016
The Broncos could also call on Conor McGahey, who is the voice of University of Colorado football at Folsom Field. McGahey replaced Cass in 2011 for that role, so he has experience replacing a legend as well. McGahey also does in-arena work for the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center and is the radio play-by-play voice for the Colorado Rapids.
The other interesting aspect for McGahey is Roach served as a mentor for him. As a student at the University of Denver, Roach showed McGahey the ropes of the announcing business. It's safe to say if Roach endorsed anyone to take over the Broncos PA gig, it would be McGahey.
One off the cuff choice could be longtime Denver DJ Willy B. He has experience in the past as the PA announcer for the Colorado Mammoth. What might turn some away from Willy B is he can become crass and inappropriate at times, but so does Broncos Country ... especially at Mile High on game days.
As is the case with the quarterback, this will take some getting used to for Broncos Country.
Roach helped make the experience at Mile High even better and more enjoyable. Sure, his voice was a highlight, but so was the signature phrase (that he didn't even say) "In-Com-Plete." Will the new announcer carry that over? Will they create new traditions?
Totally bummed. Definitely going to miss hearing Alan Roach's voice at #Broncos games.
— Sam Farnsworth (@SamFarnsworth11) June 27, 2016
Cass and Roach worked to make this one of the best PA announcing jobs in all of sports.
Broncos Country and the Rocky Mountain Thunder make it THE best.
Now a new voice gets the chance to build on that tradition.
What do you think, Broncos Country? Who should the Broncos choose to replace Roach?
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