The East Carolina University community is mourning the loss of legendary play-by-play voice Jeff Charles, who passed away over the weekend ahead of a men’s basketball game at Tulane.
Charles, 70, had been calling games at ECU since 1988. The university announced his passing on Friday night. The Pirates’ Saturday game at Tulane was postponed.
Charles had celebrated calling his 1,000th game at East Carolina back on January 4.
“Jeff was a true professional in every sense of the word who had a unique ability to bring the game to life and connect with listeners,” East Carolina athletic director Jon Gilbert said in a statement. “He means as much as anyone to ECU football, basketball and baseball fans and we know Pirate Nation is mourning together tonight.”
Charles had previous stops at Furman, Illinois and Virginia Tech before arriving at East Carolina. Additionally, he worked at WSB in Atlanta as the sports director, hosting a sports talk show heard in 38 states and Canada.
Charles was a two-time North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year honoree by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He claimed those awards in 2000 and 2014. East Carolina named Jeff an honorary alumnus in 2015.
