Greg Papa, the longtime voice of Bay Area sports and the current play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco 49ers. He made an emotional return to the KNBR airwaves Tuesday. Appearing on Papa & Silver alongside co-host Greg Silver. Papa opened up about his leukemia diagnosis and the treatment that has kept him off the radio since mid-summer.
“Cancer is random, cancer is sudden and cancer is unfair,” Papa told listeners during his return. He reflected on his personal fight, the losses of family members including his brother Gary, and the battle legendary 49ers coach Bill Walsh endured with leukemia before his death in 2007. Papa noted that his white blood cell count has dropped dramatically since his diagnosis, but stressed that the fight is far from over.
Papa revealed that he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia B-cell in July. The blood cancer has already required intensive treatment, including chemotherapy, and will soon involve a bone marrow stem cell transplant. Fortunately, his brother Ron has been identified as a perfect donor match, a critical factor in the transplant’s success.
“There’s still 14 damn suckers floating around out of a million,” he said, underscoring both his determination and the reality of the ongoing challenge.
Papa made his diagnosis public last month announcing he would be stepping down to begin treatment. He recently celebrated his six-year anniversary hosting middays at KNBR following a stint at crosstown rival 95.7 The Game. He’s been balancing hosting a sports talk show along with play-by-play duties since 2012. Papa has called play-by-play for the Golden State Warriors (1986–1997), Oakland Athletics (1990–2003), San Francisco Giants (2004–2008), Oakland Raiders (1997–2017), and currently with the San Francisco 49ers since 2019.
Papa’s voice has been a constant in Bay Area sports for decades. He shared that he won’t travel with the 49ers for at least a year as doctors monitor his condition. Road games will be handled remotely, though he expressed hope to attend contests within driving distance once he regains strength. “I’m going to miss being around the team on the road, but right now my focus has to be on getting healthy,” Papa said.
Support from across the sports industry has buoyed Papa’s spirits. He cited a wave of encouragement from friends and colleagues, including ESPN broadcaster Mike Tirico, a fellow Syracuse University alumnus. “The messages, the calls, the texts—they mean the world to me,” Papa added.
Papa remains committed to both his health and his role with the 49ers, balancing treatments with the demands of the NFL season. As he put it simply, “This isn’t over. But I’m going to beat this.”
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