Philly Radio: 76ers Voice Marc Zumoff Announces Retirement

Marc Zumoff has announced his retirement after 27 years as the play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia 76ers. The 65-year-old made the announcement via a letter to fans on the NBC Sports Philadelphia website Tuesday morning, reports The Philadelphia Business Journal.

Zumoff has actually covered the team for 39 years. He was first hired by NBCSP’s predecessor, PRISM, to replace Jim Gray in 1983 as the halftime host for the team’s games.

In his note, Zumoff said he still loves what he does and could see himself doing it until he simply cannot anymore.

“But there are several issues at play here,” Zumoff wrote. “Foremost is my wife of nearly 38 years, Debbie. I can never repay her for all of the nights and weekends she spent alone, raising our sons and holding down her own, high-pressure career. Simply, she is my best friend, and we want to spend more time together.

“If life is a basketball game, I’m into the fourth quarter! I’d like to play a musical instrument, learn to speak a foreign language, cook, travel, and by all means give back with my time and strength to the charitable causes that I hope will make for a better world. There’s a lot out there for me to still do, and I want to do it all while I’m still able.”

Marc Zumoff

The Philadelphia native said he fell in love with the 76ers as an 8-year-old in 1964, often rehearsing calling games into a tape recorder. He scored his first broadcasting job in 1977 as a radio newsman at WBUD 1260AM in Trenton. He became the voice of Princeton University football and basketball and then the Philadelphia Fever of the Major Indoor Soccer League until the franchise folded in 1982.

It was his time as the voice of the 76ers that defined his career. Zumoff took the reins in 1994 and went on to win the Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for best sports play-by-play broadcaster 18 times. As the Sixers play-by-play announcer, Zumoff has worked with six different partners: Steve Mix, Bob Salmi, Ed Pinckney, Eric Snow, Malik Rose and, most recently, Alaa Abdelnaby. He coined catch phrases such as “we’re coming in for a landing,” "locking all windows and doors" and “turning garbage into gold” along the way.

In addition to his broadcasting exploits, Zumoff runs his own company, Zumoff Productions, a coaching company for current and aspiring news and sports broadcasters. He also co-authored a college textbook on sportscasting.

NBC Sports Philadelphia released a prepared statement calling Zumoff a “beloved and respected icon thanks to the passion, dedication, knowledge and skill.” The regional sports network, which Zumoff joined during its initial year in 1997, went on to thank him for his years of service and shared a video tribute.