In Sacramento, Gary Gerould is best known as the radio voice of the Kings. Around the rest of the country, he’s better known for his coverage of motor sports on TV.
After 37 years covering every type of motor sports, from Formula One to hydroplane boat racing, he’s hanging up his headphones. His last broadcast will be Sunday on ESPN for the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona.
“It’s been a combination of things,” Gerould said. “The NHRA is going to a new platform next season, taking things in-house, and they have a new contract with Fox Sports. Plus, I’m 75 years old. I’m going to slow it down and become more of a fan.”
Gerould has no plans to step away from his duties calling Kings games, which he has done since the team arrived in Sacramento in 1985, making him one of the NBA’s longest-tenured announcers. The NBA season has overlapped with his motor sports duties, forcing him into some frantic travel.
“It won’t hit me until next May when hoops is over,” Gerould said. “It will probably be tough to handle. I’ve been with ESPN for 11 years and have developed a lot of great relationships. This weekend may be the last time I see a lot of them. I’m a little melancholy in a sense.”
Gerould also has worked in the booth for NBC’s pro football coverage and was a member of NBC’s broadcast team for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Gerould started his broadcasting career at KHSL-TV and radio in Chico in 1962 after graduating from Anderson University in Indiana. He joined KCRA in 1965 and left in 1977 to pursue freelance auto racing assignments, and he since has been busy as a radio and TV reporter and announcer.
“I spent 25 years doing IndyCars coverage, and I’ve had the privilege of being in the pace car twice,” Gerould said. “When you look back over your shoulder at the field of 33 cars and see 400,000 race fans … man, the hair stands up on my arms now just thinking about it.”
Gerould has seen the world with his wife, Marlene, often by his side. He said the golden age of network TV sports coverage allowed him to travel in style, and his bosses had no problem springing for Marlene’s tickets and accommodations, too. That era is over as fragmentation of TV sports has led to smaller and smaller production budgets, Gerould said.
Gerould, who said he will call Kings games as long as the team wants him, is giddy about calling games at the Golden 1 Center downtown next season. But he’ll also continue to glance at the TV to see who is the fastest NHRA qualifier that week or who is leading the points chase in NASCAR and IndyCar.
“What a ride it’s been,” Gerould said.
Read more at the Sacramento Bee which is where this article was originally published
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.
