Fans of Louisville basketball are well-acquainted with the voice that echoes throughout Freedom Hall with an elongated "Three-ee-ee-ee" after the home team sinks one, a barely audible "three" after the visitors do, or the quick and quiet "timeout on the floor" accompanying breaks in the games. Sean Moth, the man behind the microphone, is in his eighth year as PA announcer, and was handpicked by Tom Jurich to replace longtime Louisville voice John Tong.
Growing up in Fort Collins, Colo., Moth, 36, perfected his pipes singing and performing in high school and college. At Colorado State, his link to Jurich, he began to get into radio at a local AM sports station — not necessarily a childhood dream but a welcomed opportunity. "A lot of kids sp/files/storyimages/years trying perfect their ‘radio voice.’ For me, the first time I tried mine out was on-air," he says with a laugh. "I guess it worked."
He eventually expressed interest in announcing CSU games to someone on staff, and one night the chance came to do it for a basketball game. From there he made contacts in professional sports, calling Colorado Avalanche hockey games for four years and Denver Nuggets basketball games for two — his post when he got the call from Jurich. "I’m still flattered that he sought me out," Moth says, "and you know, Jurich gets who he wants."
Moth’s responsibilities aren’t limited to sitting courtside and updating fans at games. His official titles are sports information director for baseball and women’s soccer and PA announcer for men’s football, soccer and baseball, as well as women’s volleyball and basketball. He calls all of the baseball games on the radio and was recently involved in choosing a new head coach. While Moth claims professional hockey is his first love, he enjoys being involved with the college athletes. "This is an intense four years in their development as athletes. It’s really exciting to watch them transform. I guess I’m kind of living vicariously through them," he says.
Away from the field, Moth enjoys fly-fishing, dreams of doing voices for cartoons, and might pursue commercial voice-over work, something he did in Colorado. When asked what the future will bring, he ducks the question and answers with a smile, "I’ve never been a future kind of guy. I just tell people, ‘All I know is I have a game at 1 tomorrow.’"
