Woody Durham: 'It was time' to step down

CHAPEL HILL -- It wasn't surprising that North Carolina play-by-play announcer Woody Durham read from carefully conceived notes as he officially confirmed his retirement Wednesday morning.

After all, one of the reasons his career as the "Voice of the Tar Heels" spanned 40 years - and more than 1,800 UNC football and basketball games - was his preparation.

Yet again, he was ready. This time, to go.

"I actually thought about this decision after the 2009-10 season," Durham said in front of a packed room at the Smith Center that included UNC coaches Roy Williams, Butch Davis and Sylvia Hatchell as well as officials from North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest and the ACC. "I hope the Tar Heel listeners didn't notice, but there were too many times after various broadcasts when I wasn't pleased with my level of presentation. ... I thought I would work hard to be better in the 2010-2011 season, which I did. But again, my presentation was not always what I wanted.

"So I knew it was time. And I wanted it to be my decision, and not that of someone else a few years from now when they might have to literally carry me out of the booth, kicking and screaming."

Durham was under contract until 2013 but said he decided in December, after speaking with his family, that this past basketball season would be his final one.

At 69, he has no health issues, he said. But for all of the time and attention he continued to put into his handwritten, three-color-coded, detail-oriented scoring charts, he said he thought his accuracy was lacking over the last few years, "and I was a little slow saying the things I wanted to say."

"... I felt it kind of getting away from me a little bit," he said. "And so that's why I thought it's probably a good time to step aside."

Even after his decision was made, though, he kept it quiet - preferring not to focus, during UNC's loss to Kentucky in the NCAA regional finals last month, on the fact that that would be his final game.

And he didn't tell Williams - who interrupted a recruiting trip to attend Wednesday's news conference - until last week.

"I'm probably the only person in this room who listened to Woody Durham his first year on the radio," Williams said. "I was a student here, and I do remember the change ... to Woody, and I thought he was sensational.

"... His preparation is something I really admire, but his biggest thing is his love for the coaches, the student athletes, and understanding the game in the tough times. I think those are the things I appreciate the most."

Durham grew up in Albemarle and began his broadcasting career at age 16 at WZKY radio.

He graduated from UNC in 1963, and in 1971 he became the voice behind the Tar Heels' close losses, big wins and controversial finishes.

He worked with four men's basketball coaches, six football coaches and four athletic directors.

He called 23 bowl games, 13 Final Fours and six basketball title games. He missed only 14 games in 40 years, he said - all because of timing conflicts.

Athletic director Dick Baddour called Durham's retirement "the end of an era" and said his love for UNC is "as clear as a Carolina blue sky." Baddour said Learfield Communications will take the lead role in replacing Durham, although the school will have plenty of input.

Mick Mixon, who formerly worked with Durham as a color analyst for the Tar Heel Sports Network, said Wednesday he is happy with his current position with the Carolina Panthers and isn't interested in returning to UNC. Durham's son Wes, the play-by-play voice for Georgia Tech and the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, declined to say whether he would be a candidate to replace his dad in Chapel Hill.

Asked if he would like to see Wes or his younger son (Taylor, who works for ISP Sports) follow in his footsteps at UNC, Durham said that's not his decision, "but if it would happen to be another Durham, I could walk away content that it would be done right."

Durham reiterated that while he's retiring from calling games, "I'm not retiring from Carolina." He's hoping that the school or athletic department might find a new role for him.

And in the meantime, he plans to work his golf handicap back to a single digit, take his wife to Cape Cod in the fall and perhaps write a book.

He still will attend as many games as possible, watching from a seat instead of a sideline or broadcast booth.

He said he won't miss all of the hours of preparation he put into each broadcast, although he will miss the fans.

"I got an email this morning, and this young lady was writing in her email about how she used to be in the backseat, strapped into the baby seat ... and she remembered her dad listening to me on the radio, doing the Carolina games," he said. "And the visually handicapped people who would come up to me and say, 'Woody, you helped me see the games.' That's such a special memory - but there are so many special memories I will take with me."