General overall view of the Philadelphia Eagles logo. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Hall of Fame announcer breaks down Eagles huddle

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated Aug 2, 2024 10:31 AM ET

This weekend, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will celebrate Merrill Reese, longtime radio voice of the Philadelphia Eagles, with the 2024 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. It’s an incredible honor, but not his first of the week.

Prior to a recent team practice, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni brought Reese on the field to break the team down. As usual, he was full of praise for his beloved Eagles:

Merrill Reese breaks down the Eagles: “Go Birds!” pic.twitter.com/yseuwwCAda
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) August 2, 2024

The 81-year-old announcer is a lifelong native Philadelphia native. He attended Overbrook High School and Temple University prior to serving as a public affairs officer in the United States Navy where he became a lieutenant.

Reese started his radio career by calling high school football games for WPAZ in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. After that he moved to WBCB in Levittown, Pa., a station he currently co-owns. He began doing pregame and postgame Eagles shows on WIP in the early 1970’s and assumed play-calling duties in 1977.

The 2024-2025 season will be Reese’s 48th as Philadelphia’s radio play-by-play announcer. He’s received numerous awards over the years, including Pennsylvania Sportscaster of the Year and the Lindsey Nelson Award for Excellence in Sportscasting. He’s also a member of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Past winners of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award include John Madden (2002), Al Michaels (2013) and longtime voice of NFL Films John Facenda (2021).

Bruce Ewing

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals. His work has appeared on Yardbarker, 5th Down Fantasy, Inside the Iggles and MSN. Give a Philly fan a break and follow him on Twitter/X at @fantasybruce.

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