Ray Clay

Last updated

Ray Clay is an American public address announcer best known for his work for the Chicago Bulls organization in the 1990s.

Contents

Chicago Bulls

A native of Berwyn, Illinois, Clay began announcing basketball games at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1980. He was hired by the Bulls in 1990 and worked with them for 12 ½ seasons, during which the team won six NBA Championships. With the rising popularity of the team, many traditions Clay adopted from his predecessor, Tommy Edwards, became known worldwide, including the opening address to the fans (“Aaaaand now...the starting lineup...for your...Chicago Bulls!”) the distinctive player introductions (e.g., “Frommmm North Carolina...at guard...6’6"...Michael Jordan!”), and the use of The Alan Parsons Project instrumental "Sirius" as background music for the introductions. The Jordan-style introduction remains a tradition for any former Tar Heel with the Bulls with successors.

Clay’s fame during the height of the Bulls success led to a minor acting career. For example, he guest starred in a 1993 episode of the sitcom Married... with Children and had roles in the films Blink and He Got Game . In addition, he lent his vocal talents to several basketball video games and read the "Top Ten" on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1998. [1]

2002 dismissal

In January 2002, Michael Jordan was scheduled to return to the United Center for the first time since leaving the Bulls in 1998. Jordan was then playing for the Washington Wizards, and Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti asked Clay how he was going to introduce the ex-Bull. Clay explained that he wanted to deliver his familiar introduction for Jordan, but team management had ordered him to introduce Jordan as he would any other opposing player. "When I gave my opinion, that was Ray Clay, the fan, talking. But when you work for an organization, you are bound by rules and how they want you to talk and act," he said. [2]

Clay was then fired in May of that year. The Bulls gave no official reason for Clay's dismissal, but Clay speculated he was fired because of his disagreement with team management over Jordan's introduction. “When you put two and two together, that’s all it could be. I can’t think of anything else I ever did wrong,” he told Mariotti. [2]

In April 2003, Clay accepted an invitation to introduce Jordan at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, where Jordan played his last game in the NBA. [3]

Chicago Sky

In 2006, Clay was hired to become an announcer for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA. At the time of his hiring, the Sky played their home games at UIC, where Clay was working as director of campus recreation. [4] Clay retired from announcing Chicago Sky games in 2019 after 12 years with the team.

However, as of 2024, Clay has come out of retirement and is currently the PA announcer for the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Bulls</span> National Basketball Association team in Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16, 1966, and played its first game during the 1966–67 NBA season. The Bulls play their home games at the United Center, an arena on Chicago's West Side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Colangelo</span> American basketball player, coach, executive

Jerry Colangelo is an American businessman and sports executive. He formerly owned the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League, and the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. He was also instrumental in the relocation of the original Winnipeg Jets team in the NHL to Phoenix to become the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2014, Grand Canyon University renamed its Christian based school of business after Jerry Colangelo, replacing Ken Blanchard's namesake. From December 2015 to April 2016, Colangelo served as chairman of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, before serving as a special advisor to the team until December 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Krause</span> American sports executive (1939–2017)

Jerome Richard Krause was an American sports scout and executive who was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Collins (basketball)</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1951)

Paul Douglas Collins is an American basketball executive, former player, coach and television analyst in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1973 to 1981 for the Philadelphia 76ers, earning four NBA All-Star selections. He then became an NBA coach in 1986, and had stints coaching the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. Collins also served as an analyst for various NBA-related broadcast shows. He is a recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award. In April 2024, Collins was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2024 by the Contributors Committee.

"Bill Swerski's Superfans" was a recurring sketch about Chicago sports fans on the American sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live. It was a prominent feature from 1991 to 1992, and its characters have made various other appearances since its inception. The sketch is notable as a media portrayal of the Inland North dialect of American English that predominates in Chicago, most famously through the distinctive pronunciation of the phrase "Da Bears".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Kerr</span> American basketball player, coach, and commentator (1932–2009)

John Graham Kerr, also known as Red Kerr, was an American basketball player, coach, executive and broadcaster who devoted six decades to the sport at all levels. The affable 6'9", 230-pound center starred for the University of Illinois (1951–1954) before he became a three-time All-Star and one-time league champion in the NBA (1954–66), primarily as a member of the Syracuse Nationals.

Richard Edward Stokvis, known professionally as Dick Stockton, is an American retired sportscaster. Stockton began his career in Philadelphia, then moved to Pittsburgh, where he worked as the sports director for KDKA-TV. In Boston, he called Celtics games for WBZ-TV and Red Sox games for WSBK-TV before transitioning to national broadcasting, which included calling the 1975 World Series for NBC and later, the NBA Finals for CBS. In a career that spanned over five decades, Stockton worked for several different networks, most prominently CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and Turner Sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Williams (basketball)</span> American basketball player

Jason David Williams is an American former basketball player and television analyst. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team and professionally for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.

Ronald Stacey King is an American sports announcer and former National Basketball Association (NBA) center who won three consecutive championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1991 to 1993 while playing next to Michael Jordan. King is the color commentator for Chicago Bulls television broadcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Williams (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1968)

Scott Christopher Williams is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6' 10", he was capable of playing as a power forward or a center. Early in his professional career, Williams earned three NBA Finals rings as he contributed off the bench during the Chicago Bulls' first three-peat championships from 1991 to 1993. He developed into a front-court reserve during his fifteen seasons in the NBA, where he was known for his hustle and strong defense. Since his retirement, Williams has coached in the NBA Development League and NBA as well as commentating for a variety of NBA teams. Williams is currently the color analyst for the Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 NBA Finals</span> 1993 basketball championship series

The 1993 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1992–93 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. It featured the two-time defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, and the Western Conference playoff champion Phoenix Suns, winners of 62 games and led by regular season MVP Charles Barkley. The Bulls became the first team since the Boston Celtics of the 1960s to win three consecutive championship titles, clinching the "three-peat" with John Paxson's game-winning 3-pointer that gave them a 99–98 victory in Game 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 NBA Finals</span> 1991 basketball championship series

The 1991 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1990–91 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. It was also the first NBA Finals broadcast by NBC after 17 years with CBS.

Jim Durham was an American sportscaster. Durham was born in Chicago, IL, and graduated from Donovan High School in Donovan, Illinois, and later attended Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.

Tommy Edwards is a retired American public address announcer for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Michael Jordan</span> Public sculpture in Chicago

The statue of Michael Jordan, also known as The Spirit, is a bronze sculpture by Omri Amrany and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany that has been located inside the United Center in the Near West Side community area of Chicago since March 1, 2017. The sculpture was originally commissioned after Jordan's initial retirement following three consecutive NBA championships and unveiled prior to the Bulls taking residence in their new home stadium the following year. Depicting Basketball Hall of Fame member Michael Jordan and unveiled outside the United Center on November 1, 1994, the 12-foot (3.7 m) sculpture stands atop a 5-foot (1.52 m) black granite base. Although not critically well received, the statue has established its own legacy as a meeting place for fans at subsequent Bulls championships and as a rallying point for Chicago Blackhawks fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sirius (instrumental)</span> 1982 song by the Alan Parsons Project

"Sirius" is an instrumental by British rock band The Alan Parsons Project, recorded for their sixth studio album, Eye in the Sky (1982). Nearly two minutes long, it segues into "Eye in the Sky" on the album. From the 1990s onward, "Sirius" has become a staple of many college and professional sporting events throughout North America, most prominently Chicago Bulls games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Rockers</span> Basketball team in Illinois, US

The Chicago Rockers were a men's professional basketball team based in Chicago from 1994 to 1996. The Rockers competed in the American Conference of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The team was owned by Chris Devine, a Chicago businessman. Home games were played at UIC Pavilion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Amin</span> American television and radio sportscaster

Adam Amin is an American sportscaster. Amin joined Fox Sports in June 2020 as a play-by-play announcer for MLB and NFL games after previously working for ESPN from 2011 to 2020. He is also the television play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.

As the national broadcaster of the NBA, CBS aired NBA games from the 1973–74 until the 1989–90 season, during which the early 1980s is notoriously known as the tape delay playoff era.

Tim J. Sinclair is an American television and radio broadcaster, and public address announcer. He worked as the announcer for home games of the Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL) since 2020, for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 2020–21, the Chicago Fire FC in Major League Soccer (MLS) since 2014, and the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) since 2015–16.

References

  1. ↑ "Late Show With David Letterman #1141" http://www.tv.com/late-show-with-david-letterman/show-1141/episode/124096/summary.html.
  2. 1 2 Mariotti, Jay. “Tired tactics need no introduction”. Chicago Sun-Times. May 15, 2002.
  3. ↑ Wyche, Steve. “The Air Finally Runs Out”. Washington Post. April 17, 2003.
  4. ↑ Steve Tucker. "Sky hooks Clay to do its PA". Chicago Sun-Times. April 28, 2006. 131.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.