Gary Cohen | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, U.S. | April 29, 1958
Education | Columbia University, '81 B.A., Political Science |
Occupation | New York Mets play-by-play announcer |
Years active | 1983–present |
Spouse | Lynn Cohen |
Children | 5 |
Gary Cohen (born April 29, 1958) [1] [2] is an American sportscaster, best known as a radio and television play-by-play announcer for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. He is widely considered one of the greatest baseball announcers of all time.
Cohen currently calls Mets broadcasts for SNY and WPIX and Seton Hall basketball games on WMCA and WNYM.
Cohen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Columbia University in 1981. He began his broadcasting career with WKCR Sports where he did play-by-play for baseball, football and men's basketball. [3] He also announced men's soccer games with future presidential adviser and Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos. [4]
Prior to joining the Mets' broadcast team in 1989, Cohen worked as the voice of the minor league Spartanburg Spinners (1983–1984), Durham Bulls (1986), and Pawtucket Red Sox (1987–1988). [5] He also called ice hockey and basketball games for Providence College from 1988 to 1989, and football for Brown University in 1987. [5] Along with his work with the Mets, Cohen has also called postseason MLB games for ESPN Radio and CBS Radio. [5]
In addition to his baseball duties, Cohen has called men's college basketball games for many years, starting with his duties with St. John's on WFAN, for which he broadcast from 1995 to 2002. [5] Following WFAN's loss of the radio rights to St. John's games, Cohen began broadcasting Seton Hall games, which he continues to do to this day. He also served as a backup announcer on New York Rangers radio broadcasts, called Olympic hockey at the 1992, 1994, and 1998 Winter Olympics, and NCAA tournament games for Westwood One on multiple occasions. [5]
In September 2022, Cohen pre-recorded announcements along MTA New York City Transit's 7 line, along with Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling. [6]
It was announced on November 9, 2005, that Cohen would become the play-by-play announcer for the new Mets cable television network, SportsNet New York (SNY). As part of the agreement, Cohen also calls about 25 Mets games per year on WPIX along with analysts (and former Mets) Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez. [7]
On June 3, 2023, Cohen was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. [8] In May 2024, Cohen received an honorary doctoral degree from Seton Hall, during a graduation ceremony where he also delivered a commencement speech. [9]
He is married to Lynn Cohen and lives in Connecticut. He has five children. [10]
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