Bill Roth, a Hall of Fame broadcaster who adopted Virginia Tech as family, is leaving the Hokies after 27 years for a similar position at UCLA.
While calling more than 1,000 football and men’s basketball games, Roth became a part of Tech’s fabric, bringing the Hokies to fans around the world with a classically trained yet down-home voice. His tenure coincided with a remarkable rise for Tech athletics, including football’s run to the 1999 national title game, the school’s 2004 entrance into the ACC and basketball’s upset of three No. 1 opponents.
Moreover, as a tireless advocate not only for sports but also the university at-large, Roth generated untold goodwill for Tech, emceeing countless events on and off campus.
His final Hokies broadcast will be Saturday’s spring football game.
Tech confirmed the news Wednesday morning with this release.
Befitting such an icon, Tech has created the Bill Roth Student-Athlete Endowed Scholarship, “which will be awarded annually in perpetuity to a deserving Virginia Tech student-athlete with an interest in communications or broadcast journalism.”
“This has been such an incredibly difficult and emotional decision to leave,” Roth said in Tech’s release. “I love Virginia Tech … our coaches, our staff, our athletes, and our amazing fans. We’ve been through so much together over these 27 years, and I owe a tremendous thanks to each of them for their support, and for listening and watching our programs over the years.
“Professionally, this is a phenomenal opportunity to work at another prestigious and championship-level program. I am honored and humbled to be chosen for the opportunity to represent UCLA and to work at the Rose Bowl and Pauley Pavilion, two of the most historic venues in sports. …
“Also, I am extremely excited about the challenge to work in the nation’s second-largest media market and to live in a true global city, Los Angeles. Personally, I have a dozen family members who live within an hour of Pauley Pavilion. I’m eager to see them on a consistent basis. Being close to my family was a major part of this decision.”
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Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
