In a surprise announcement, Eli Gold—who has served as the voice of Alabama football since 1988—will be sidelined due to health issues at the beginning of the 2022 Crimson Tide football season. This news comes from Jim Carabin, vice president and general manager of Crimson Tide Sports Marketing.

Chris Stewart will fill-in as Gold’s temporary replacement.

Stewart Play-By-Play

The University Of Alabama — Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama. (Keilani Hamann)

Stewart currently anchors the Tide’s football broadcast and handles play-by-play duties for the Alabama basketball and baseball teams.

In Gold’s absence, Stewart will also take over the hosting duties for “The Nick Saban Show” and “Hey, Coach” radio broadcasts when it returns on Thursday, August 18.

Gold is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and recipient of the National Football Foundation Chris Schenkel Award. Along with calling games for the Tide, Gold has done play-by-play for the Birmingham Bulls and NASCAR.

“Eli has done a fantastic job being the voice of our iconic brand at the University of Alabama for a long, long time. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. We certainly hope that he has a speedy recovery. He’s a good friend, and he’s been a great ambassador for the University of Alabama. We appreciate all he’s done more than you know.
Alabama Coach Nick Saban at a August 3, 2022 news briefing for Nick’s Kids

The Crimson Tide’s season begins September 3rd against Utah State.

We wish Eli Gold well! Tell us your favorite calls by the legendary broadcaster by tagging us on social media at @Thebamabuzz