Charlie Gaddy: Durham among best of the best
Many thanks for the series on Woody Durham. While a sad story, it is also a tribute to the career of one of North Carolina’s greatest broadcasters.
Woody was born with the perfect voice for sports play-by-play. His pipes had the clarity, pitch and timbre to be heard over the roar of stadium and basketball arena crowds, especially when working in open press boxes. He honed his gift to the level of excellence.
My favorite sportscaster when I was growing up was network radio star Bill Stern. I place Woody in that same category of the best among the best.
When Carolina games were televised, I, like countless thousands, tuned out the TV volume and turned to Woody on the radio. We all knew that his meticulous research would provide more depth on both teams, and that he would bring us the fire and excitement that the networks could not.
Woody is a broadcast icon. He has inspired his two sons to follow in his footsteps. May Jean and his extended family know how much respect and affection we have for this great man as his journey continues.
Charlie Gaddy
Raleigh
The writer was a news anchor on WRAL-TV from 1974 to 1994.
This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Charlie Gaddy: Durham among best of the best."