HOYAS WIN! Rich Chvotkin Voted NSMA 2023 Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award Winner

Jan 23, 2023 - 7:30 PM

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We need some good news around here and it couldn’t happen to a better Hoyas Fan.

Rich Chvotkin, the radio play-by-play announcer for your Georgetown Hoyas since 1974, has been voted by the National Sports Media Association as the winner of the 2023 Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award. A group of NSMA member play-by-play announcers and representatives from sponsoring organizations vote on the award, which will be presented in Winston-Salem, N.C., on June 26, 2023.

The 49-year voice veteran and his legendary “Hoyas win!” calls are well known around these parts so it’s great to see national recognition. This award is well deserved and the voting committee hit a homerun. Rich Chvotkin’s professionalism and class are second to none.

Last February, after his 1,500th game, Chvotkin told ABC7 News, “It doesn’t seem like it when you look back on it. 38 states, 1,500 ball games is a lot of hoops. I’ve had the passion for it. I think that’s what kept me going. I enjoy what I do, I prepare well and I have a good feel for the game. I get emotionally into it and that keeps me energized.”

Craig Esherick, who played and coached for Georgetown from 1974 to 2003, relayed to Forbes that Chvotkin “never treated it like a part-time job. He did his homework. He knew all the players. He knew the opponents. He was very well-prepared.”

Last year, when Forbes asked him about potentially retiring, Chvotkin said “I still have the passion for it ... As long as I have the brain power, I would enjoy doing it as long as I could.”

Fans are on board for continued broadcasts with Rich long into the future as he also said, “I hope I can do 1,500 more.”

Chvotkin also won the BIG EAST Media Award in 2022.

Press Release:

CHVOTKIN VOTED 2023 DURHAM VOICE OF COLLEGE SPORTS AWARD WINNER

Winston-Salem, N.C. (January 23, 2023) – Rich Chvotkin, the radio play-by-play announcer for Georgetown University basketball since 1974, has been voted by the National Sports Media Association as the winner of the 2023 Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award. Sponsored by Learfield and the University of North Carolina athletics department, the award will be presented during the 63rd NSMA awards banquet in Winston-Salem, N.C., on June 26, 2023.

A select group of NSMA member play-by-play announcers, including past winners, as well as representatives of the two sponsoring organizations vote on the award.

Chvotkin said, “I am deeply honored to have been chosen for the Woody Voice of College Sports Award for 2023.” He added, “I knew Woody Durham going back to our earlier days of broadcasting many Georgetown-North Carolina games. I always admired his work ethic, passion, and professionalism. To be given this award that represents the commitment to excellence in sports broadcasting and makes me feel an integral part of the great broadcasters past and present.

I am especially grateful for the support, commitment, and loyalty these 49 years from the Georgetown Men’s Basketball Program. Thank you again to the National Sports Media Association for this great honor.”

No one was broadcasting Georgetown games when Chvotkin approached the Hoyas’ sports information director and asked about filling that void. After submitting a demo tape, Chvotkin then teamed with athletic director Frank Rienzo and head coach John Thompson to find a radio station that would carry the games. WOOK-AM signed on, Chvotkin called his first game on December 7, 1974, and since then, has called every Hoyas’ game (more than 1,500), with the exception of the 1990-91 season. That year, Chvotkin, who has served as a psychotherapist with the U.S. Army, was deployed to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War.

Among Chvotkin’s highlights calling Georgetown games:

• Four Final Fours, including the 1984 NCAA championship;
• All 143 games that Patrick Ewing played for Georgetown and all 172 games that Ewing has coached for the Hoyas;
• Seven Big East tournament titles.

Rich and his wife Lynn live in Potomac, MD. They are the parents of two sons, Lorin and Evan, and one daughter, Pamela.

Previous Winners of the Durham Award

• 2018 – Don Fischer, Indiana
• 2019 – Bill Hillgrove, Pittsburgh
• 2020 – Johnny Holliday, Maryland
• 2021 – Gene Deckerhoff, Florida State
• 2022 – Joe Starkey, California

About the Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award

Created in 2018, the Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award recognizes professional college broadcasters who fit the following criteria: preparation; association with his/her school; tenure at their school; efforts in the community; mentorship of young broadcasters; character. The award is sponsored by Learfield and the University of North Carolina athletics department.

Congratulations, Rich and HOYA SAXA!

HOYAS WIN! HOYAS WIN!