Joseph Tait (May 15, 1937 – March 10, 2021) was an American

sports broadcaster In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...

who was the play-by-play announcer on radio for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA) and both TV and radio for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

. With the exception of two seasons in the early 1980s and illness during his final season, he was the Cavaliers' radio announcer from the team's inception in 1970 through the 2010–11 season. He won the

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

2010 Curt Gowdy Media Award.HoF Press Release
Basketball Hall of Fame Source date May 11, 2010 Accessed October 18, 2015

Early life and education

Tait was born in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, ...

, and was raised in

Amboy, Illinois Amboy is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States, along the Green River. The population was 2,500 at the 2010 census. The chain of Carson Pirie Scott & Co. began in Amboy when Samuel Carson opened his first dry goods store there in 1854. ...

. Growing up, he played basketball, football and soccer, and also enjoyed writing. He attended

Monmouth College Monmouth College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college in Monmouth, Illinois. Monmouth enrolls approximately 900 students from 21 countries who choose courses from 40 major programs, 43 minors, and 17 pre-professional programs in a ...

in western

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, where he began his radio career. He worked various jobs, including play-by-play on a local radio station in Monmouth ( WRAM), sports reports, and operations manager.Wham! The Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers
ClevelandSeniors.com] (Accessed October 18, 2015) He graduated in 1959. After college, Tait spent three years in the

United States Army Security Agency The United States Army Security Agency (ASA) was the United States Army's signals intelligence branch from 1945 to 1976. The Latin motto of the Army Security Agency was ''Semper Vigiles'' (Vigilant Always), which echoes the declaration, often ...

. After the Army, Tait bounced around, spending time in

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in C ...

. From 1966 to 1968 he was the official voice of the

Ohio Bobcats The Ohio Bobcats are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio University, located in Athens, Ohio, United States. Ohio University is a charter member (1946) of the Mid-Am ...

, served as sports director for WOUB, and taught sportscasting at the Athens institution. He next served as the network voice of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

football, and was the pre-game host for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first estab ...

in 1969, in addition to being the station manager and morning host at WBOW (1230 AM) in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

Career

In 1970, Tait began his longtime association with the

, who were in their first year of existence. The games were broadcast on WERE for the first two years. After then-owner Nick Mileti, who also owned the

, bought Cleveland's most powerful radio station, WWWE (now

WTAM WTAM (1100 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and carries a news/ talk/sports format commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Oh ...

) in 1972, he moved both teams' radio broadcasts to WWWE. Tait was the radio announcer for the Indians from 1973 through 1979 along with

Herb Score Herbert Jude Score (June 7, 1933 – November 11, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and announcer. Score pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 1955 through 1959 and the Chicago White Sox from 1960 through 1962. He was ...

, and their TV announcer with a variety of partners from 1980 through 1987. However, prior to the 1980-1981 season, new controversial Cavs' team owner

Ted Stepien Theodore J. Stepien (June 9, 1925 – September 10, 2007) was an American businessman who owned the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1980 to 1983. Born in Pittsburgh in 1925, he became wealthy as the founde ...

had a disagreement with WWWE. Consequently, the station gave the broadcasting rights back to Stepien, and Tait was released from his job as a result. Yet, many Cleveland fans mistakenly believe that Tait was fired by Stepien, organizing a "Joe Tait Night" during the final home game of the season. The game had the highest attendance of any game in the prior four seasons, and during the game, fans led chants of "Let's go, Joe. Ted must go." In the interim, Tait was the radio announcer for the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

for the 1981-1982 season. The following year, he switched to television, calling play-by-play

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

games on

SportsVision Sportsvision (SV) was a subscription sports television service founded by Chicago White Sox owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn and media mogul Fred Eychaner. The service broadcast live sporting events, and for much of its time of operatio ...

, the team's cable-TV station. He also broadcast the

CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broad ...

College Game-of-the-Week.2010 Media Guide
Cleveland Cavaliers Media Guide, Page 316 Retrieved October 18, 2015 When new owners Gordon and

George Gund III George Gund III (May 7, 1937 – January 15, 2013) was an American businessman and sports entrepreneur. Gund was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 7, 1937, to Jessica Roesler and George Gund II, a powerful banker in Cleveland. A high-school dr ...

bought the team, Tait returned to the Cavaliers for the 1983-1984 season, and remained until his retirement in 2011. In 1987, he was named vice president of broadcast services, a job that he held until his retirement. On March 26, 2008, Tait announced his 3000th game for the Cavaliers, against the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, where he sat at half court. The radio broadcast location at The Q, at section C126, was renamed "The Joe Tait Perch" in honor of this achievement.Windhorst, Bria
Cavaliers Insider: Play-by-play man Joe Tait signs extension
he Plain Dealer, November 15, 2008 Retrieved October 18, 2015 In November 2008, Tait signed a two-year contract extension, ensuring that he would be the team's radio voice until at least the 2010-11 season. However, he had a lifetime agreement with the team to serve in some capacity. In May 2010, the

announced that Tait would receive the 2010 Curt Gowdy Media Award, which was presented on August 12–13, 2010. On May 17, 2010,

announced that he would retire from broadcasting at the end of the 2011 season. During the 2010 preseason, Tait was hospitalized with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

, and further testing showed he needed heart surgery. This would cause Tait to miss the most of the 2010-2011 season. Mike Snyder and Jim Chones were announced as the interim radio team during Tait's recovery. On March 25, 2011 it was announced that Tait would return to call the remaining home games of the season. The "Voice of the Cavs" Joe Tait Slated to Return to the Broadcast Booth for Cavs vs. Atlanta Hawks Game This Sunday, March 27th at 6:00 p.m.

, March 25, 2011 Retrieved October 18, 2015 On April 8, 2011, in a game against the Chicago Bulls, the Cavaliers honored Tait by having Joe Tait Appreciation Night and by raising a "commemorative banner" with Tait's name, his years as a Cavaliers broadcaster and a microphone next to the other Cavalier retired numbers. Tait's final game was the April 13, 2011 contest between the Cavaliers and

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. The Cavaliers sent Tait out as a winner, defeating Washington 100-93. For fifteen seasons (during the basketball off-season), Tait was also a play by play voice for the

(on the radio from 1973–1979, then switching to television from 1980–1987). In 1992, he was inducted into the Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame of Ohio. From 1997 to 2004, Tait also served as the radio play-by-play voice of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Nati ...

(WNBA)

Cleveland Rockers The Cleveland Rockers were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Cleveland, that played from 1997 until 2003. The Rockers were one of the original eight franchises of the WNBA, which started in 1997. The owner was Gordon G ...

. In 2004, Tait was selected as a founding member of the Indiana Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Beginning in 2008, Tait did play by play for the Mount Union College Purple Raiders, a Division III college football team, on regional cable-TV sports network

SportsTime Ohio Bally Sports Great Lakes is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel, which is a sister network to Bally Sports Ohio, broadcasts statewide coverage of professiona ...

. He was on the school's board of trustees. He also called high school basketball games for

WEOL WEOL (930 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Elyria, Ohio, and features a talk and sports radio format. Owned by the Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co., WEOL services Lorain and Medina counties and the western parts of Greater Cl ...

-AM 930. In 2011 Tait co-authored his memoir, ''Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball'' with sports writer

Terry Pluto Terry Pluto (born June 12, 1955) is an American sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and author who primarily writes columns for ''The Plain Dealer'', and formerly for the ''Akron Beacon Journal'' about Cleveland, Ohio sports and religion. Plu ...

. The book covers his early years in broadcasting, his time with covering the Cleveland Indians and his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In July 2019,

-AM 930 launched a weekly

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

with Joe Tait entitled ''Over the Timeline'' that served as an overview of his career, and also included audio from Tait's extensive

reel-to-reel Reel-to-reel audio tape recording, also called open-reel recording, is magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording tape is spooled between reels. To prepare for use, the ''supply reel'' (or ''feed reel'') containing the tape is pla ...

tape collection.

Signature calls

*"It's basketball time at the Cleveland Arena/Coliseum/Gund/Q!" – opening for Cavaliers home games *"Wham with a right/left hand!" – for a Cavaliers

slam dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...

. *"To the line, to the lane..." – when a Cavaliers player drives the lane for a basket *"3-ball...Got it!" – a three-point shot *"Sights it, shoots it, got it." – for free throw attempts *"This is Joe Tait. Have a good night everybody!" – what he said to end a broadcast *"It's a beautiful day/night for baseball!" – what he started every baseball game with

Personal life

Tait married his first wife in 1963. They were married 18 years and had three children, Christina, Karen and Joe. In 1983, he married his second wife, Jean. He and Jean resided in Lafayette Township, Medina County, Ohio.

Death

Tait died in his home under hospice care March 10, 2021, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 83.

Awards and honors

*Eight-time NSSA Ohio Sportscaster of the Year (1974, 1976, 1978, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2003) *Cleveland Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame Inductee (class of 1997) *Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame Inductee (class of 1992)Tait inducted into Ohio Broadcasters HOF - Broadcasters Hall of Fame.com
*Indiana Broadcasters Hall of Fame Inductee (class of 2004) *2010 Basketball Hall of Fame Curt Gowdy Media Award *2012 OAC Bill Nichols Media Award *Cleveland Press Club Journalism Hall of Fame Inductee (class of 2003) *

Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1976 to honor Greater Clevelanders who were outstanding in sport. Greater Cleveland is defined as Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lor ...

Inductee (class of 2005) *"Voice of the Cavaliers" banner honoring his Cavs career included with the Cavaliers' retired numbers at

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). It also ...

*Radio announcers booth at

renamed "The Joe Tait Perch" *Broadcast booth at University of Mount Union renamed the "Joe Tait Broadcast Booth" *Cavaliers Wall of Honor (class of 2019) *

References

Bibliography

External links

A free sample from Tait's book ''Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tait, Joe 1937 births 2021 deaths American Basketball Association announcers Chicago Bulls announcers Cleveland Browns announcers Cleveland Cavaliers announcers Cleveland Indians announcers College basketball announcers in the United States College football announcers Indiana Pacers announcers Indiana Hoosiers football announcers New Jersey Nets announcers Major League Baseball broadcasters Monmouth College alumni Mount Union Purple Raiders football National Football League announcers People from Evanston, Illinois Television anchors from Cleveland Women's National Basketball Association announcers